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

CULLMAN, 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.

A 2024 Sea-Doo GTI jet ski operated by Gudger was struck in the rear by a 2019 Sea-Doo GTI jet ski operated by his 21-year-old son, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. Both men were thrown into the water. Bystanders in the area assisted the men out of the water and took them to a nearby dock, the law enforcement agency said. The younger Gudger was treated at the scene.

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.