The governor of the state of Minnesota in the US, Gov. Mark Dayton on Monday night collapsed during his State of the State speech, but after a few minutes, walked away with help.
It was gathered that about 45 minutes into his speech, after a pause to take a drink of water, Gov. Dayton’s hand began to shake, his speech was distorted for sometime before he fell.
Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, sitting next to him, immediately reached over to catch him, quickly followed by several others nearby.
While he hit his head, those nearby reached him quickly enough that he did not hit the floor hard.
Legislators gasped when he collapsed, then silence fell over the House chamber for several seconds.
“He quickly recovered, walked out of the Capitol, and returned home,” his chief of staff, Jaime Tincher, said an hour and a half after the incident.
“EMTs joined the governor there, and performed a routine check. He is now spending time with his son and grandson.”
After he fell, the House and Senate immediately adjourned their joint assembly.
It was gathered that a year ago, Gov. Dayton fainted at a political event. He said doctors at the time ordered him to drink more water, blaming the 2016 collapse on dehydration.
We learnt that during the speech, he seemed hesitant from time to time. Some in the chamber also said he appeared pale.
Meanwhile, about half an hour after Dayton’s collapse, his son, Eric Dayton, said on Twitter that his father was doing better.
“I’m with my dad now and he’s doing great,” Eric Dayton said. “Thank you all for your kind well-wishes and words of concern.”
I’m with my dad now and he’s doing great. Thank you all for your kind well-wishes and words of concern.
— Eric Dayton (@ericdayton) January 24, 2017
Thanks again, everyone, for the outpouring of support tonight. It means a lot to me, my dad, and our family.
— Eric Dayton (@ericdayton) January 24, 2017
Below is the video of the incident:
