OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:16 PM – Thursday, November 13, 2025
Pennsylvania Democrat Senator John Fetterman was hospitalized after reportedly falling and smashing his face during an early Thursday morning walk.
On Thursday, Fetterman’s (D-Pa.) office revealed that the Pennsylvania senator suffered a ventricular fibrillation flare-up, leading him to fall and sustain minor facial injuries.
“During an early morning walk, Senator Fetterman sustained a fall near his home in Braddock. Out of an abundance of caution, he was transported to a hospital in Pittsburgh. Upon evaluation, it was established he had a ventricular fibrillation flare-up that led to Senator Fetterman feeling light-headed, falling to the ground and hitting his face with minor injuries,” a Fetterman spokesperson wrote in an X post.
Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is a life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia in which the heart’s lower chambers, ventricles, quiver uselessly instead of pumping blood effectively. This leads to a sudden loss of cardiac output, causing collapse, loss of consciousness, and even death within minutes if not treated immediately.
“Senator Fetterman had this to say: ‘If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!’ He is doing well and receiving routine observation at the hospital. He has opted to stay so doctors can fine-tune his medication regimen. Senator Fetterman is grateful for the EMTs, doctors, and nurses who are providing his care.”
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Fetterman suffered a stroke in May 2022 while campaigning for his first U.S. Senate term. In his recently released book and in an NPR interview with Scott Detrow, he also opened up about battling depression during that same period.
When asked about his book and his struggle with depression, Fetterman described his condition as “profound depression.”
“Honestly, I know millions of Americans suffer from it. And when you hear the expression that you can’t get out of your bed — that’s true.”
Fetterman went on to emphasize that he does not regret opening up about his battle with mental health so others who experience the same struggle don’t feel alone.
“It’s an honest conversation because a lot of people have had those things. And I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me over the years since and it’s an honor to speak to people, to their experience, because sometimes people can feel alone,” Fetterman stated. “And I’ve always wanted to make that conversation as simple as it can to just stay in this game. Because I’ve had people in my life make the decision to leave. And that’s not a fail, they didn’t fail. But that’s a decision that they can’t come back [from]. And how heartbreaking that is and how sad that is,” he continued.
“You’re talking about suicide?” Detrow asked in response.
“Yeah absolutely,” Fetterman affirmed. “It’s not a weakness. And [I want to be] a voice saying, ‘hey, look, that’s a lie. I don’t know what your recovery looks like, but as long as you stay in it, I promise you you will get better.”
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