Former President Jimmy Carter Taken to Hospital After Falling at Home

Former President Jimmy Carter Taken to Hospital After Falling at Home
President Jimmy Carter acknowledges a student during an annual Carter Town Hall held at Emory University in Atlanta on Sept. 18, 2019. (John Amis, File/AP Photo)
Zachary Stieber
10/22/2019
Updated:
10/22/2019

Former President Jimmy Carter was transported to a hospital in Georgia after falling at his house late Oct. 21.

Carter, who recently turned 95, was admitted to the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center for a minor pelvic fracture.

Carter fell down at his house in Plains on Monday evening.

The hospitalization was for “observation and treatment,” according to The Carter Center.

“He is in good spirits and is looking forward to recovering at home,” the center said in a statement.

Carter fell earlier this month, suffering a black eye and stitches above his brow.

Carter was seen helping build houses with Habitat for Humanity in Nashville just a day after that fall.

Carter also fell in May, breaking a hip. He underwent surgery at the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center.

Former President Jimmy Carter answers questions during a news conference at a Habitat for Humanity project in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 7, 2019. (Mark Humphrey/AP Photo)
Former President Jimmy Carter answers questions during a news conference at a Habitat for Humanity project in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 7, 2019. (Mark Humphrey/AP Photo)

Despite Fall, Carter Helps Build House

With a bandage above his left eye and a large, red welt below it, Carter was greeted by a cheering crowd on Oct. 7 as he prepared to help build a home with Habitat for Humanity in Nashville.

Carter fell at home on Sunday, requiring 14 stitches, but he did not let his injuries keep him from participating in his 36th building project with the nonprofit Christian housing organization. He turned 95 on Oct. 1, becoming the first U.S. president to reach that milestone.

Before construction began, Carter led a morning devotion for a group of several hundred volunteers.

He walked slowly across the uneven, muddy ground to the stage helped by a cane and several people who were nearby to steady him. Once seated, Carter, who still teaches Sunday school twice a month at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, spoke in a clear voice, peppering his inspirational message with jokes.

He spoke about Jesus’s brother James who taught that “if your life is not filled with peace, joy, and thanksgiving, it’s your fault.'”

Carter said God gives us life and freedom. “With our freedom, every one of us can make a basic decision. ... ‘What kind of person do I, myself, choose to be?’”

Carter said every person “can be a complete success in the eyes of God.”

Speaking about what makes a successful life, Carter reminded the crowd that Jesus was poor, and died young, abandoned by his closest friends.

“But Jesus lived a perfect life because he followed the will of God,” Carter said.

Joining Carter at the building site were former First Lady Rosalynn Carter; husband and wife country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood; and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and First Lady Maria Lee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report