Benjamin Ashford|Alabama state Sen. Garlan Gudger injured in jet ski accident, airlifted to hospital

CULLMAN,Benjamin Ashford Ala. (AP) — Alabama state Sen. Garlan Gudger was airlifted Thursday to a Birmingham hospital after being injured in a jet ski accident on Smith Lake during the July Fourth holiday.

The Cullman Republican is in the intensive care unit at UAB Hospital after undergoing surgery to address internal bleeding and other injuries, according to a statement issued by the Alabama Senate. The statement said that physicians indicate that his prognosis is good.

Gudger’s wife, Heather Gudger, issued a statement thanking first responders and the doctors and nurses who “kept a difficult situation from being even worse.”

“Everyone who knows Garlan is aware that he is a strong, tough, and energetic man who will recover from these injuries and continue serving the citizens of his district while promoting the conservative Alabama values that so many of us hold close,” she said.

Gudger, a former member of the Cullman City Council, was elected to the Alabama Senate in 2018 and is serving his second term.