North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer says he'll be 'doling out a lot of left-handed fist bumps' after yard work accident that could result in fingers on his right hand being amputated
- GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota injured his hand while doing yard work over the weekend.
- He says he'll be missing votes this week and may need to have fingers on his right hand amputated.
Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said on Wednesday that fingers on his right hand may need to be amputated after a yard work accident over the weekend.
"While working in the yard over the weekend, I sustained a serious injury to my right hand, which required immediate surgery," Cramer said in a statement. "I continue to remain in North Dakota close to medical care as there is a high risk of infection and the possible need for amputation."
Molly Block, a spokeswoman for Cramer, told Insider after initial publication of this story that his fingers, rather than his entire right hand, may need to be amputated.
Cramer was one of two senators that was absent for a procedural vote on a new bipartisan bill to address gun violence on Tuesday night.
"I am alert and in good spirits. Although I am missing this week of votes and hearings, I am monitoring Senate business closely and in constant contact with my colleagues and staff," he added.
Cramer added that he plans to return to Washington, DC, after the July 4 recess and expects "to be doling out a lot of left-handed fist bumps."
Cramer later told Forum News Service on Wednesday that the injury came as he was about to go swimming in a rocky beach area near his home in Bismarck when he attempted to move a large, unstable rock.
That rock then rolled back onto his hand, ripping off the tip of his pinkie finger and crushing his ring finger.
"Right when I looked at it I knew it was severe," he told the outlet. "It was pretty nasty."
A surgeon at Sanford Medical Center then stitched the severed part of his pinkie finger back on.
"Angry Birds is still a possibility," joked Cramer of his condition.