The governors communications team had been working on a statement detailing the burning: For him it was important not to distract from what was happening in Dallas.
Texas Insider Report: DALLAS Texas Gov. Greg
Abbott sustained extensive 2nd-and-3rd-degree burns on both legs below the knees and both feet -- and may
miss next weeks Republican National Convention as a result his office said Sunday.
The governor is chairman of Texas delegation to the Republican convention in Cleveland which begins July 18. But Spokesman Matt Hirsch said he may now not make the trip calling a decision about Abbotts attendance day-to-day.
Abbott was with his family in Jackson Hole Wyoming on Thursday when he was scalded in an accident involving hot water. Hirsch declined to provide further details.
The governor was treated for several hours at nearby St. Johns Medical Center. As he was being released a top aide called from Texas to say a gunman had opened fire in downtown Dallas --
an attack that killed five police officers and wounded seven others.
His first words to us were Ive got to come back Hirsch said.
Abbott held a press conference in Dallas on Friday but didnt disclose being burned. Hirsch said that his legs were wrapped at the time but that wasnt evident since they were covered by his pants.
The only hint anything was wrong Hirsch said was that the governor was wearing orthopedic shoes that his staff purchased that
morning -- rather than the dress shoes or boots he usually dons in public.
Hirsch said surgery wont be required immediately but that Abbott was heading to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio on Monday afternoon to see specialists. He continues to get his legs wrapped daily and should be required to do so for two or three weeks Hirsch said.
The governors communications team had been working on a statement detailing the burning Thursday but abandoned it in the aftermath of the mass shooting Hirsh said. Instead Abbott released statements about the attack late Thursday night and early Friday morning as well as an open letter to Texans urging unity in the face of tragedy.
For him it was important not to distract from what was happening in Dallas Hirsh said.
The accident wasnt reported until late Sunday. Word first appeared in The Austin American Statesman. The Dallas Morning News reported that Abbott was advised by doctors not to travel because his injuries.
Abbott has used a wheelchair since a tree fell on him while jogging in 1984 paralyzing him from the waist down. Hirsch said the governor still has functioning nerve receptors in his legs and feet however and that he has felt pain as they react to the shock of being burned.
Abbott endorsed the presidential bid of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz but says he supports presumptive nominee Donald Trump.
