Rand Paul's injuries are much worse than people first thought after he was allegedly beaten by his next-door neighbor

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Rand Paul.

• Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was allegedly assaulted by his next-door neighbor on Saturday.
• His injuries are now thought to be much worse than they were originally.
• He has five broken ribs and bruises to his lung, and there is no timetable for his return to Congress.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was injured much worse than originally thought this weekend when he was allegedly beaten by his next-door-neighbor.

Paul suffered five broken ribs and bruises to his lungs, and there is no timetable for his return to Washington, DC, a top aide said on Sunday.

The Kentucky Republican, who was a 2016 GOP presidential candidate, was allegedly attacked by his next-door neighbor, Rene Boucher, 59. Boucher was charged with fourth-degree assault.

In a Sunday statement, Paul's chief of staff Doug Stafford outlined Paul's injuries.

"This type of injury is caused by high velocity severe force," he said. "It is not clear exactly how soon he will return to work, as the pain is considerable as is the difficulty in getting around, including flying."

Paul's recovery could take months, Stafford said.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the motive for the attack. Both Boucher and Paul are in the medical field in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Paul is an ophthalmologist and Boucher is an anesthesiologist.

Jeff Jones, a registered nurse who worked with Boucher, told The Washington Post that Boucher's politics were "liberal" and that he "was active on social media and said some negative things about the Republican agenda."

Paul, who was a member of the Republican congressional baseball team, was on the field during a June practice when a gunman wounded five people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was nearly killed. Paul was not hurt in that attack.