Boston Mayor Breaks Leg, Resting Comfortably After Surgery

Boston, MA — Boston’s mayor broke his leg on Friday on his way to an art exhibition for Autism Awareness Month. The 70-year-old man was resting comfortably in the hospital after surgery on Saturday.

Mayor Thomas Menino twisted his ankle on Friday and fractured his distal fibula. Surgeons at Brigham and Women’s Hospital performed surgery to repair the fracture in his right leg.

The surgery on the mayor’s broken leg took less than an hour and included placing a plate and screws to help fix the broken bone.

Dr. Mitchel Harris, chief of orthopedic trauma service, and orthopedic surgery instructor Dr. Michael Weaver released a statement about the surgery. They explained, “This common injury often requires surgical repair.”

The doctors added that the surgery on Menino went through without any complications. While he will need a walking boot and crutches for the next couple of months, the injury is expected to fully heal. The mayor’s broken leg is just the latest in a series of health problems that have plagued Menino since the end of last year.

Dot Joyce, Menino’s press secretary, stated on Saturday that the Boston mayor was conscious and alert. She added that he is resting in his bed in a single room with his ankle elevated.

Joyce added that the mayor will be released soon. She explained of his attitude, “He’s trying to be jovial and make jokes with the nurses. He’s himself. He’s doing great.”

She added, however, that the mayor will likely have to return to the Parkman House while he rehabilitates. The house is really a city-owned Greek Revival mansion. It is the same place where the Boston mayor stayed between December and March after his last stint in the hospital.

Unlike his modest home in Readville, the Parkman House has an elevator, which will make it easier for Menino to get around while his broken leg heals. Thomas Menino previously spent six weeks at the hospital for a respiratory infection he developed while on vacation in Italy. He suffered complications at the hospital that included a compression fracture in a vertebra in his spine.

It is unknown when the Boston mayor will get his cast off.

[Image via United States Navy]