Richmond – State Sen. Ed Flanagan remained hospitalized as OITM went to press, following a one-car accident in the early hours of Friday, November 18. There was no official news regarding his condition, as his family instructed Fletcher Allen Health Care not to release information on his injuries. However one news source reported that he was likely dealing with head injuries and hypothermia.
       According to news reports, the 54-year-old Flanagan was traveling north on Interstate 89 when his car left the road, and traveled 275 feet down an embankment, striking a culvert and rolling onto its hood. Flanagan was still in the car 12 hours later when a hunter slowed for the Richmond exit and his 19-year-old son spotted the car.
      In news reports, the young man's father was quoted as saying that the bottom of the car was difficult to see because it was covered in mud and grass. The young man scrambled down the embankment, saw movement inside the vehicle, and climbed back up to call for help. Flanagan was admitted to Fletcher Allen by 3 p.m. Friday.
       Ed Flanagan was elected as state auditor in 1992, came out in 1996, and was re-elected as an openly gay man. He was then the first openly gay statewide elected official in the country. He made history again in 2000 as the first openly gay candidate nominated by a major party for a U.S. Senate seat. He was elected to the Vermont Senate in 2004 from Chittenden County.
       His 55th birthday is December 18.