Texas Governor Hospitalized After Accidental Scalding Water Burns [UPDATE]

Austin, TX -- Gov. Greg Abbott has been admitted to a San Antonio hospital for an overnight stay after he said over the weekend that he had accidentally been scalded with scalding hot water while vacationing.

On Sunday, the Austin American-Statesman reported that Abbott had been accidentally burned while on vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyo. A spokesman said the governor sustained second- and third-degree burns to his legs and feet, without disclosing how the accident occurred.

Because the governor is wheelchair-bound, doctors were worried of potential infection. On Monday, his office said doctors at Brooke Army Medical Center -- widely renowned for its burn unit -- had found a small infection, and will admit him overnight as a precaution so that he can receive more treatment.

The accident will preclude Abbott from attending a memorial service in Dallas scheduled on Tuesday. Despite his injuries, he previously traveled to Dallas to offer his support and deliver remarks promoting unity.

"Governor Greg Abbott today visited Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio where he received additional treatment on the 2nd and 3rd degree burns that he sustained on both legs below the knees and both feet after coming into contact with scalding water," a statement from his office reads.

"Following the doctor's examination, it was determined that the governor had developed a minor infection as a result of the burns, and the decision was made to admit the governor into the hospital overnight for further treatment."

The governor on Tuesday will undergo skin grafts to repair the damage on Tuesday before being discharged, according to the statement.

"On Tuesday, July 12th, Governor Abbott will undergo skin grafts to repair damage on both feet," a spokesman wrote. "After the procedure, in which local anesthesia will be administered, Governor Abbott is expected to be disharged and will return to Austin."

The statement confirms that, as a result of the hospitalization, Abbott will be unable to attend Tuesday's interfaith memorial service for the fallen officer in Dallas. President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama are scheduled to be in attendance, with the president scheduled to deliver remarks before meeting with police officers' families privately.

Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush -- who live just outside Dallas -- are also expected to attend the memorial service.

"As a result of today's news, and regretfully, Governor Abbott will not be able to attend tomorrow's memorial service at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas," the statement reads. "In his place, First Lady Cecilia Abbott will attend."

On Sunday, a spokesman said the the governor's injuries might also prevent him from attending the Republican convention next Monday. In the statement, a spokesman confirmed the likelihood the governor might be unable to attend the GOP gathering at which Donald Trump will be officially nominated as the party's candidate for president.

"The governor continues to be in contact with staff, and he is grateful for all of the prayers and well-wishes from the public."

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From July 10:

Austin, TX — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott may miss the upcoming Republican convention in Cleveland after he said he suffered burns on his legs in a water-scalding incident while on vacation, according to published reports.

The Austin American-Statesman, in an exclusive story, first reported on Sunday that Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, suffered second- and third-degree burns to his legs while vacationing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Matt Hirsch, the governor's spokesman, declined to detail the circumstances that led to the governor's injuries, as reported by the Statesman.

Despite his burns, the governor insisted on going to Dallas to show support to the city's law enforcement after five officers were killed in the line of duty in a Thursday shooting rampage. Hirsch was preparing a statement regarding the governor's injuries when the event in Dallas began to unfold.

Somehow, the governor was able to make it less than 24 hours later in spite of his injury, the newspaper reported. In Dallas, he spoke eloquently of unity and healing — without mention of his own ordeal ahead of the trip.

His spokesman explained the governor didn't want his accident to distract from the tragedy in Dallas, hence no media advisory was issued detailing the injury. Details of the burns sustained by the governor were disclosed for the first time to the Statesman on Sunday.

Hirsch said the burns might preclude Abbott from attending the Republican National Convention scheduled to take place in Cleveland next Monday. While the governor is expected to make a full recovery, he may not be well enough to attend the convention or a memorial service for fallen officers in Dallas on Tuesday.

“It’s day by day,” Hirsch told the Statesman. “We don’t know.”

Hirsch told CBS News the only sign that something was wrong with the governor as he spoke in Dallas was that he was wearing orthopedic shoes, rather than dress shoes or boots that he normally wears in public.

The injury is made more serious given that the governor is wheelchair-bound, having suffered a spine injury in his late 20s, which exacerbates the risk of infection. While he is paralyzed from the waist down, Abbott still has functioning nerve receptors in his legs and feet, and he felt pain as they reacted to the shock of being burned.

Abbott has to have his legs wrapped daily and should be required to do so for two or three weeks. While he does not require surgery, he will go to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio on Monday to see specialists.

The Dallas Morning News reported Abbott has been advised by doctors not to travel.

Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump is expected to be officially named as his party's candidate for president next Monday in Cleveland. Abbott has not officially endorsed Trump and was formerly having to negotiate an awkward equilibrium between offering a full-throated endorsement or remaining silent on the matter.

The reason for that delicate balance resulted from news related to Trump University — currently being sued for fraud elsewhere — which was setting up a campus of sorts in Texas some years back. While attorney general, Abbott joined other states in launching an investigation into allegations of fraud against the "university" in Texas before abruptly dropping the probe without providing a reason.

Subsequently, Abbott received $35,000 worth of campaign donations from Trump. Abbott has publicly denied accusations of a quid pro quo.

Yet as unfortunate as his injury is (from which he is, thankfully, expected to fully recover), it does yield avoidance of an awkward appearance at the convention given the Trump University connection.

Abbott is the latest prominent Republican to voice an inability to attend the upcoming Republican convention that will nominate Trump for the presidency (albeit, in the governor's case he has a compelling reason not to attend). Other Republicans unable to muster support for the polarizing presidential candidate have disclosed they will not attend the nominating event.

Unlike Abbott — whose likely absence is due to a serious accident — other Republicans have been facetious in coming up with excuses not to attend. Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, for example, said he needs to mow his lawn, without explaining how the task will take the entire four days of the convention. Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse has said he is going to watch dumpster fires with his family.

George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Jeb Bush all have indicated they won't attend. Mitt Romney, who has called Trump a "phony" and a "fraud," also won't be in attendance, for obvious reasons.

Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman >>

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