Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman sustains injury to face from fall outside his home

Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman was hospitalized on Thursday after a heart condition flare-up caused him to fall on his face outside his home.

According to a statement from his press secretary, the Democrat was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital following the early-morning slip, and doctors determined he had experienced ventricular fibrillation that left him feeling light-headed before he fell and sustained minor facial injuries.

“If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!” Fetterman said in a statement released by his office, which suggested he was doing well and undergoing routine observation.

His spokesperson said the 56-year-old senator was “grateful for the EMTs, doctors and nurses who are providing his care” and chose to remain in the hospital to allow medical staff to fine-tune his treatment.

The incident is the latest health scare for Fetterman, who has faced a series of medical incidents since joining the Senate in 2023. In May 2022, days before winning Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary, he suffered a serious stroke caused by a blood clot stemming from atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat condition related to Thursday’s ventricular fibrillation episode.

His recovery from the stroke has been gradual, leaving him with lingering auditory-processing difficulties that he manages using closed captioning technology during conversations and Senate hearings.

In February 2023, he was treated for light-headedness, though doctors ruled out another stroke. Later that month, he checked himself into Walter Reed national military medical center for clinical depression, remaining there for about six weeks. He has since spoken openly about his mental health struggles and advocated for greater awareness of mental health conditions.

The senator, once hailed as a leading voice for the progressive wing of the party, has since been increasingly isolated from the Democrats on key votes. In September, he was the only Democrat to vote for a Republican-led continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown, drawing criticism from some within his caucus.

His attendance record has also raised concerns. Between February 2023 and February 2025, Fetterman missed approximately 21% of roll-call votes, according to a GovTrack analysis, making him the fourth-most-absent senator during that period.