John Kerry breaks leg in cycling accident in Alps

United States Secretary of State John Kerry broke his right leg in an accident while cycling in the Alps near Scionzier, France, on Sunday and returned to the US, his spokesman said. He has cancelled visits to Madrid and Paris.

Kerry broke his right femur but the injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery, the spokesman said. He was taken to a Geneva hospital after being injured and was in stable condition.

The accident occurred while Kerry was out cycling the day after meetings with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Geneva to try to overcome obstacles in negotiations on curbing Tehran’s nuclear programme.

He was flown by medical helicopter from the scene of the accident to Geneva’s main public hospital, spokesman John Kirby said.

“The secretary is stable and never lost consciousness. His injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery,” Kirby said and added that Kerry was “in good spirits.”

Later on it was reported that the top American diplomat was being transported, aboard government aircraft, to Boston to be admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital under the care of the physician who performed the hip surgery.

According to a report in The Washington Post, Kerry was attended by a physician at the scene, in the town of Scionzier, France, just over the Swiss border about 30 miles from Geneva.

The Post also reported that Kerry had brought his personal bike along for a ride planned well in advance. “An avid cyclist, he wanted to ride a small part of the Tour de France and was accompanied by local government officials,” according to French media reports.

He had been due to travel to Madrid, Spain, later on Sunday before heading to Paris for a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and members of a US-supported coalition fighting the militant group Islamic State.

“The secretary very much regrets not being able to visit Spain to meet with one of our closest allies for discussions on a range of issues,” Kirby said. Kerry will also miss the counter-ISIL coalition ministerial meeting on Tuesday in Paris in person but would participate “remotely.”

The 71-year-old secretary of state is an avid cyclist and often takes his own bike on official trips abroad. A senior State Department official said it appeared Kerry hit a curb and there was no vehicle involved in the accident.