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AUCHTERARDER, Scotland (CNN) -- President Bush collided with a British police officer during a bike ride Wednesday evening, suffering scrapes on his hands and arms that required bandaging, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
The officer, from the Strethclyde Police Department in Scotland, was taken to a local hospital as a precaution. He was treated and released, after an evaluation revealed no fractures, McClellan said.
Bush "visited" with the police officer for some time after the accident and asked White House physician Dr. Richard Tubb to monitor his situation at the hospital, McClellan said. The president was expected to call the officer later, McClellan said.
Despite a steady rain and chilly temperatures, Bush, an avid mountain biker, went for a ride at the Gleneagles resort in central Scotland, where he and other leaders of the Group of Eight economic powers will begin a two-day summit Thursday. (Related story.)
'A pretty good speed'
According to McClellan, the accident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. (1 p.m. ET), about an hour into the ride. Bush was going at "a pretty good speed" when he collided with the officer, who was in a security detail on the resort grounds.
The president, who was wearing a helmet, slid on the pavement, suffering scrapes on his hands and arms that were bandaged by Tubb.
McClellan declined to speculate about whether anyone was at fault in the crash.
The president's bicycle was damaged, and he returned to his hotel in an SUV that had been trailing him as he rode with a Secret Service agent, McClellan said.
This is not the first time Bush's mountain biking habit has led to injury. In May 2004, he suffered minor abrasions to his chin, upper lip, nose, right hand and both knees when he took a spill near the end of a ride at his ranch in Texas.
The officer, from the Strethclyde Police Department in Scotland, was taken to a local hospital as a precaution. He was treated and released, after an evaluation revealed no fractures, McClellan said.
Bush "visited" with the police officer for some time after the accident and asked White House physician Dr. Richard Tubb to monitor his situation at the hospital, McClellan said. The president was expected to call the officer later, McClellan said.
Despite a steady rain and chilly temperatures, Bush, an avid mountain biker, went for a ride at the Gleneagles resort in central Scotland, where he and other leaders of the Group of Eight economic powers will begin a two-day summit Thursday. (Related story.)
'A pretty good speed'
According to McClellan, the accident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. (1 p.m. ET), about an hour into the ride. Bush was going at "a pretty good speed" when he collided with the officer, who was in a security detail on the resort grounds.
The president, who was wearing a helmet, slid on the pavement, suffering scrapes on his hands and arms that were bandaged by Tubb.
McClellan declined to speculate about whether anyone was at fault in the crash.
The president's bicycle was damaged, and he returned to his hotel in an SUV that had been trailing him as he rode with a Secret Service agent, McClellan said.
This is not the first time Bush's mountain biking habit has led to injury. In May 2004, he suffered minor abrasions to his chin, upper lip, nose, right hand and both knees when he took a spill near the end of a ride at his ranch in Texas.
