Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-WV) wife Gayle and a colleague were injured in a car accident on Monday in Alabama on the way to attend an Appalachian Regional Commission event there, but both are in stable condition in a Birmingham hospital. 

"On Monday, my wife Gayle and her colleague Guy Land were involved in a car accident on the way from the airport to the hotel in Birmingham, Alabama, for an Appalachian Regional Commission event that was planned for today," Manchin said in a statement.

"Both were admitted to UAB Hospital and are receiving excellent care," he continued. "She remains in stable condition but will stay there for a couple of days for precautionary measures."

Another car struck the one Manchin and Land were riding in, and the a local NBC affiliate reported Wednesday that the driver, Tradarryl Rishad Boykins, was arrested.

Thankful for first responders

Manchin thanked the first responders who helped his wife. "We want to thank the first responders who answered the call and were on-site to provide assistance and support," he said.

Gayle Manchin is the federal co-chair of the commission and Land is the congressional liason.

ARC describes itself as an "economic development partnership entity of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian Region."

Joe Manchin is in the middle of deciding whether to make a third-party run for president, likely under the No Labels party.

No Labels

No Labels has teased the possibility of a mixed party candidacy, with one Democrat and one Republican running on the ticket. It would be billed as an alternative to a 2020 rematch between the two oldest candidates the country has ever had.

There are serious concerns about President Joe Biden's age--81--and he also faces serious corruption allegations as part of an impeachment inquiry.

His likely rival, former President Donald Trump, 77, faces four criminal indictments and several civil cases.

Voter enthusiasm for the matchup is extremely low, and No Labels has been gauging the likelihood that enough voters would seize on the alternative to make a campaign worthwhile.

Joe Manchin has said he won't run for re-election to the Senate, and will likely be replaced by a Republican.

As one of only a very few moderates left in the Democrat party, he kept his party from voting to pack the Supreme Court and other damaging legislation.