Naifeh updates Sen. Cooper's condition after wreck

UPDATED 11:05 a.m. with statement from hospital
Legislator was critically injured when SUV overturned last night along I-24

Email | Print By Ken Whitehouse

02-08-2007 9:49 AM —

UPDATE: 11:05 a.m. Statement from Vanderbilt University Medical Center:

"State Sen. Jerry Cooper, D-Morrison, has been upgraded to stable condition by his Vanderbilt trauma physician after a motor vehicle crash on Interstate 24.

"Cooper, 58, was flown from the accident scene on Interstate 24, two miles east of Buchanan Road near Interstate mile marker 89, by Vanderbilt LifeFlight. He arrived at Vanderbilt's Emergency Department at 10:41 p.m. on Feb. 7.

"Cooper was admitted to Vanderbilt's Trauma Unit under the care of William P. Riordan Jr. M.D., assistant professor of Surgery in the Division of Trauma & Surgical Critical Care.

"Riordan upgraded Cooper's condition from 'critical' to 'stable' at 8 a.m. this morning.

"Cooper's immediate family is with him at Vanderbilt."

Vanderbilt officials also noted that Cooper's family is declining interviews at this time.

As originally posted:

State Sen. Jerry Cooper (D-Morrison) is "going to be OK," says House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh. "That's the main thing."

As reported by NashvillePost.com's partner News2 earlier this morning, Cooper was critically injured overnight when the SUV he was driving overturned and left the roadway along Interstate 24 in Rutherford County. The long-serving Senator, who is 58 years old, was transported by helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where his condition was initially given as critical.

"I understand he's stable," Naifeh said in a brief interview. "He broke some bones and cracked some ribs."

Sen. Joe Haynes (D-Nashville), as chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus, put out a statement moments ago after visiting the hospital and speaking to Sen. Cooper’s family. Haynes says the senator "suffered no life-threatening injuries, and doctors assure his family that he will be fine."

In a passing comment to NashvillePost.com as he was issuing the statement, Haynes added: "Seat belts save lives."

Cooper's district encompasses Warren, Coffee and several nearby counties. Morrison is near McMinnville and would be reachable from Nashville via I-24.

The senator is currently under federal indictment, with a trial set for March, on charges of bank fraud, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud. The accusations involve the sale of a woodworking plant he owned.

The government alleges that Cooper conspired to arrange for inflated appraisals of the property so that a bank partially owned by former Lt. Gov. John Wilder could finance the deal. The buyers of the property are presently serving prison terms, but the real estate appraiser involved was acquitted at trial.