BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Gayle Manchin, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s wife, who leads an economic development partnership of the federal government and 13 state governments, and a colleague of hers have been hospitalized following a car crash in Alabama.
Gayle Manchin, 76, and Guy Land were injured Monday in the accident in Birmingham as they traveled from the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport to an area hotel, Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday.
“On Monday, my wife Gayle and her colleague Guy Land were involved in a car accident on the way from the airport to the hotel in Birmingham, Alabama for an Appalachian Regional Commission event that was planned for today,” the senator said. “Both were admitted to UAB Hospital and are receiving excellent care. She remains in stable condition but will stay there for a couple of days for precautionary measures. We want to thank the first responders who answered the call and were first on-site to provide assistance and support.”
Gayle Manchin is the federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, which, according to its website, seeks to strengthen economic growth in Appalachia. She was in Birmingham with Land, the ARC’s congressional liaison, for a grant workshop.
The ARC said in a statement another vehicle struck their car while they were driving to the event.
A telephone call to Birmingham police for details about the crash was not immediately returned.
Gayle Manchin, a former educator, served as president of the West Virginia Board of Education and as the state’s secretary of education and the arts under Republican Gov. Jim Justice. She was sworn in as the Appalachian Regional Commission’s 13th federal co-chair in 2021 after being nominated by President Joe Biden.
Joe Manchin was the governor of West Virginia from 2005 until 2010, when he was elected to the Senate. The couple have been married since 1967 and have three children.
