LEXINGTON, Ky. _ U.S. Sen. Rand Paul had part of his lung removed over the weekend as additional medical treatment for the effects of an assault by his Kentucky neighbor in 2017.
Paul tweeted Monday morning he had to have part of his lung surgically removed last weekend at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He said the lung was damaged in a November 2017 attack by his Bowling Green neighbor, Rene Boucher, who was ordered by a jury to pay more than $500,000 in damages to Paul early this year.
Paul said he will have to limit his August activities and should be able to return to the Senate in September. The Senate is due back in D.C. on Sept. 9.
He said following the assault that he broke six ribs and had fluid buildup in his chest. In January, Paul underwent hernia surgery in Canada.
Boucher pleaded guilty in federal court to assaulting Paul and served 30 days in jail, paid a $10,000 fine and performed 100 hours of community service. Federal prosecutors then pushed for a steeper punishment.
Of the $582,834 Paul was awarded, $7,834 was for medical costs, $200,000 was to compensate him for pain and suffering and $375,000 was to punish Boucher for the attack.
Boucher attacked Paul after cleaning up yard waste Paul had piled on their property line several times, only to see Paul starting another mess, the neighbor's attorney said in court. Paul denied he piled limbs or other waste on the property line.
It was a difficult weekend for Kentucky's senators. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell fell at his home in Kentucky Sunday morning and broke his shoulder, his office said in a news release. He was treated at a hospital and released after the accident.
