GOP Senator Suffers Seizure, Brain Bleed After Falling On Ice

North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer experienced a seizure and a brain bleed after slipping on ice in his home state.

The senator shared the news on social media, stating that he is currently at home recovering after the incident over the weekend.

“Late yesterday afternoon, I walked to my backyard intending to retrieve a piece of conduit which came off my dock and was laying on the ice. While walking on the hill down to the dock, I stepped on ice and evidently fell hard, hitting the back of my head,” Cramer explained in a Facebook post.

According to the senator, he lost consciousness and did not recall anything until arriving at a local emergency room with his wife, Kris.

“I do not remember anything from the fall until arriving at Sanford Health emergency room with Kris. After seeing the emergency doctor, taking some tests, including a CT Scan, and seeing a neurologist, I was diagnosed with a severe concussion, a seizure, and a slight brain bleed. The wound on my head wouldn’t stop oozing, so the doctor punched a couple of staples on the laceration and admitted me. I had a good night sleep before getting a second CT Scan,” he wrote.

Providing an update on his condition, Cramer mentioned, “I am better today with only a slight brain bleed and pretty bad headaches. Doctors prefer I rest a little longer before returning to DC, so I do not know exactly when that will happen. It will be day to day this week, but I am ready to return quickly if events require it. Every day, Kris texts our family tips on how to care for our brains. She is a strong advocate for decisions which promote brain health. I need to pay more attention to her. I am grateful for her and the professionals at Sanford who take such good care of me. God is good!”

Although Cramer noted “pretty bad headaches” the next day, he said his condition had improved, and the brain bleed was getting better.

Cramer, who was first elected as a senator from North Dakota in 2018 and re-elected in 2024, previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

His accident comes weeks after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) sustained injuries to his face and wrist after a fall at the Capitol in December, making Cramer the second Republican senator in recent weeks to suffer a serious fall.

Just last week, Senate Republicans advanced their version of a multitrillion-dollar budget plan aimed at supporting President Trump’s policy agenda.

Prior to Cramer’s fall, the Senate had also confirmed several of Trump’s key cabinet members, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary, Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, and Kash Patel as Director of the FBI.

Additionally, Linda McMahon, under consideration for the role of Education Secretary, recently had her nomination approved by a committee. A full Senate vote could be held in the coming days.

With Cramer’s temporary absence, the Republican majority in the Senate remains at 52 members.

Toward the end of last year, Cramer faced another devastating situation when his son, Ian, was sentenced to 28 years in prison for the death of a sheriff’s deputy following a high-speed police chase.

During his trial, Ian Cramer admitted to using methamphetamine and bath salts on the day of the fatal crash in December 2023.

The senator also revealed that his 43-year-old son “suffers from serious mental disorders that manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.”