Ex-Rep. Jim Traficant critically injured in tractor accident

Disgraced former Rep. Jim Traficant (D-Ohio) was critically injured Tuesday night after a tractor he was pulling flipped on top of him at his daughter’s farm, local news outlets in Ohio reported.

Traficant, 73, was rushed to a nearby hospital and later to St. Elizabeth’s Health Center in Youngstown, where the Ohio Democrat is “sedated and not doing well,” his wife, Tish, told The Vindicator newspaper.

{mosads}Traficant, who was known for his colorful comments in Congress, was expelled from the House in 2002 and later served seven years in jail after he was convicted of taking bribes, racketeering and tax evasion. He was released from prison in 2009.

Authorities told local station WFMJ-TV that Traficant appeared to have been pulling the tractor into a barn and hit a steel blade, causing the old tractor to flip on top of him.

Traficant was first elected to the House in 1984 and would go on to serve more than 17 years. He tried to make a comeback in 2010, running as an independent, but was easily defeated by his former aide, incumbent Rep. Tim Ryan (D), in the general election.

“I am saddened to hear this news about former Congressman Traficant,” Ryan said in a statement Wednesday. “My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”

This story was updated at 11:47 a.m.