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Kerry Heads Home After Bicycling Accident

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FILE - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addresses the media during a news conference on the sidelines of the NATO Foreign Ministers' conference.
FILE - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addresses the media during a news conference on the sidelines of the NATO Foreign Ministers' conference.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is headed home from Europe after breaking his leg in a bicycling accident.

Kerry was hospitalized in the Swiss city of Geneva after the crash Sunday near Scionzier, France, about 40 kilometers from the Swiss border.

As he left Europe, Kerry tweeted a message in French, thanking the local Swiss and French police and emergency workers, calling them "true professionals."

State Department spokesman John Kirby said "it was sensible for him to remain in the hospital for observation overnight for purely precautionary measures." He said the secretary was "in great spirits and active" and made a number of phone calls, including one with President Barack Obama.

Kerry, who fractured his femur, will receive further treatment in Boston. A spokesperson said because the injury is near the site of his prior hip surgery, Kerry will be treated by the same doctor who performed that surgery.

The orthopedic surgeon will accompany Kerry to Boston to monitor his condition and ensure he remains comfortable on a C-17 military aircraft.

Kerry was in Switzerland for talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on reaching a nuclear deal before the June 30 deadline.

Those talks did not continue Sunday as originally planned after Iran rejected a Western demand to allow site inspections.

Kerry had been due to travel to Spain for talks and then on to Paris for a conference on fighting the Islamic State group. A spokesperson says he plans to participate in the conference remotely.

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