Narrow escape for Democratic Vice President candidate Tim Walz after motorcade crash; JD Vance reacts

VP nominee Tim Walz

Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz escaped unhurt Monday after vehicles at the back of the motorcade carrying him crashed. The incident happened while Walz was heading from the airport to a campaign stop in Milwaukee.

According to AP, soon after the incident, President Joe Biden called from Air Force One and spoke to Walz, as the president was traveling to a separate campaign stop in Pittsburgh with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Walz Motorcade Crash: Press pool vans following Democrat VP nominee Tim Walz have been involved in a crash en route to a campaign event. The front vehicles in the Motorcade including Walz continued on. pic.twitter.com/yoUfGjCz5j

John Cremeans USA (@JohnCremeansUSA) September 2, 2024

The Harris campaign said the crash involved vehicles near the rear of the motorcade. Walz, who is also the governor of Minnesota, was riding closer to the front. Images posted on social media showed large passenger vans with crumpled front and backends after the collision, which was said to have occurred on Interstate 794.

The White House said Harris was briefed on the collision and spoke with Walz to check on him and the staff.

Upon arriving at his event, Walz spoke briefly about the crash saying “some of my staff and members of the press that were traveling up with us were involved in a traffic accident on the way here today.”

“We’ve spoken with the staff. I’m relieved to say that with a few minor injuries, everybody’s going to be okay,” Walz said. “President Biden and Vice President Harris called to check in, and we certainly appreciate their concern, and I want to express my sincere thanks to the US Secret Service and all the local first responders for their quick reaction.”

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash, which occurred shortly before 1 p.m. local time and caused some minor injuries.

A member of the traveling pool staff, who was in a van carrying reporters, had an injured arm and was treated by medics, according to a pool report from a reporter traveling in Walz's motorcade, who wrote that passengers were “violently thrown forward, as our van slammed into the one in front of us and was hit from behind.”

Walz and his motorcade stopped at the hospital a few hours after the crash so he could check on staff members who were involved.

Meanwhile, Republican Vice President nominee JD Vance took to X and wrote 'Hoping everyone's OK'.

Hoping everyone's OKhttps://t.co/rZwCpyMb6W JD Vance (@JDVance) September 2, 2024