Democratic candidate's pickup struck by car while campaigning

KOKOMO -- A Democratic candidate for the Indiana House was briefly knocked unconscious and partially ejected from his pickup truck after a car plowed into it as he was headed to another round of campaigning, police said.\nRon Herrell, a former state representative trying to reclaim the House District 30 seat, suffered a broken rib and head and face injuries in Tuesday's accident.\nHerrell, 57, and his campaign manager, Meghan Giles, were on their way to an afternoon of door-to-door campaigning when the crash occurred about 2:30 p.m., police said.\nHoward County Sheriff Deputy Larry Sparks said Randall J. Blue, 38, of Kokomo ran a red light and smashed into Herrell's truck at an intersection on U.S. 31 just north of the city and about 50 miles north of Indianapolis.\nThe accident partially ejected Herrell, who was wearing a seat belt, through the driver's side window, Sparks said. Witnesses came to Herrell's aid, helping him back into the driver's seat to await medical help.\nHerrell regained consciousness before he was transported to Howard Regional Health System.\nDeputies said Giles, 24, complained of pain in one knee. Blue, who was not injured, was cited by sheriff deputies for disregarding an automatic traffic signal.\nHerrell said from the Kokomo hospital's emergency room that he never saw the other driver and didn't remember the accident. He said doctors told him he'll be sore for weeks to come but that his injuries won't restrict his activities.\nHerrell vowed to get back on the campaign trail quickly.\n"I'll be back at it tomorrow," he said.\nHerrell is in the midst of what is regarded as one of this year's closest Statehouse races. In the 2004 election, he was unseated by Republican John Smith. Herrell had held the seat since 1998, when he defeated incumbent Republican Karen Burkhardt.\nHe was saddened to learn that the crash likely totaled his 2003 Chevrolet Silverado.\n"I liked that truck," he said.