
Audio By Carbonatix
Hoverboards were the number one gift for children of wealthy parents this holiday season, and a young member of Rep. Carlos Curbelo’s family was no exception. Curbelo’s nephew got a shiny new machine for Christmas, but when Uncle Carlos took it for a spin, he wound up in the hospital.
The Republican congressman ended up breaking his arm and spent part of Christmas Day in the emergency room of the Baptist Health South Florida.
Curbelo broke the news himself via Twitter.
Confirmed – #hoverboard is for kids. My daughter got it. I ended up in @BaptistHealthSF #ER. #hoverboardChristmas. pic.twitter.com/ADRrYBB81J
— Carlos Curbelo (@carloslcurbelo) December 26, 2015
Since my #hoverboard accident is news, let me clarify that the device doesn't belong to my daughter. It's my nephew's. She did ride it well
— Carlos Curbelo (@carloslcurbelo) December 27, 2015
Curbelo, a former member of the Miami-Dade School Board, is serving his first term in Congress, but this isn’t his first health woe since taking office. This past summer, the congressman came down with a stifling case of whooping cough.
He shouldn’t feel too bad about the hoverboard wipeout, though. As Buzzfeed points out, dads across the country epically failed to master their kids’ new toys.
When your dad tries to hover board… pic.twitter.com/ORraNgYPk2
— emmaly (@emmaly_lwowski) December 25, 2015
My dad sprained his arm riding the hover board this morning… Merry Christmas!!! pic.twitter.com/xeABhkrjeT
— Hailey (@hayyshimm) December 25, 2015
Dad meets hover board… pic.twitter.com/j04D2zzl7B
— Megan Wommack (@megan_wommack) December 25, 2015
Curbelo, however, seems to be the only sitting member of Congress hit by the dads-failing-at-hoverboards epidemic.