Ex-US Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming dies after bicycle accident

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — Recently retired U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming has died. He was 77 years old.

Enzi died peacefully Monday surrounded by family and friends, former Enzi spokesman Max D’Onofrio said.

Enzi had been hospitalized with a broken neck and ribs three days after a bicycle accident. The accident near Gillette on Friday sent Enzi to a hospital where he was stabilized before being flown to a hospital in Colorado.

Police say they’ve seen no indication anybody else was nearby or involved in the accident.

Enzi was a Republican who retired from the Senate in January.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — A recently retired U.S. senator from Wyoming is hospitalized with a broken neck and ribs Monday, three days after a bicycle accident outside his hometown, police and friends say.

The accident Friday night near Gillette sent Mike Enzi, 77, to a hospital, where he was stabilized before being flown to a hospital in Loveland, Colorado, Enzi’s family said in a statement.

The details of the accident and the extent of Enzi’s injuries remained unknown, the statement said, but family friend John Daly told the Gillette News Record that Enzi had a broken neck and ribs.

Enzi fell near his home about 8:30 p.m. Friday, Daly said, around the time Gillette police received a report of a man lying unresponsive in a road near a bike.

Police have seen no indication that anybody else was nearby or involved in the accident, Lt. Brent Wasson told the newspaper.

Officials at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland didn’t immediately have an update on Enzi’s condition Monday.

“One of the best basketball fans in the country needs giant prayers tonight after a bike wreck and life flight last night,” Enzi’s son, Brad Enzi, tweeted Saturday.

Mike Enzi, a Republican, retired in January after four terms as senator. He previously was a state lawmaker and mayor of Gillette, where he owned a shoe store.

Cynthia Lummis, a Republican former congresswoman and state treasurer, was elected in November to succeed Enzi in the Senate.

“I know members on both sides are very much thinking of Mike at this time. We are praying for his health and for the entire Enzi family,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement.

The Associated Press