Wednesday, December 28, 2005

MACON, Georgia (AP) -- A military vehicle carrying U.S. politicians overturned on the way to the Baghdad airport Saturday, injuring two congressmen, a fellow congressman traveling with them said.Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pennsylvania, was airlifted to a military hospital in Germany for an MRI on his neck, and Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Missouri, was sent to a Baghdad hospital, said U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall. Marshall, a Georgia Democrat, was in the vehicle but was not hurt.The politicians were riding in a box-like vehicle in a convoy. The convoy was taking up the middle of the road, a common practice used by the military to deter oncoming motorists. Shortly after dark, an oncoming truck refused to yield, Marshall said. (Watch Murphy describe what happened -- 2:49)"Then all of a sudden brakes get slammed on. Then we hit something and go off the side of the road and tip over," Marshall said.Marshall said that as the vehicle toppled over, he held onto Skelton, who has limited use of his arms due to childhood polio.The delegation had traveled to Afghanistan for Thanksgiving with the troops and then on to Baghdad to meet with troops there.Calls to Skelton and Murphy on Sunday were not immediately returned, but Marshall spokesman Doug Moore said both suffered minor injuries. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad confirmed the accident but declined to release further information.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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