Indiana Rep. Jim Baird’s wife Danise died early Sunday from “complications” related to more than a dozen fractures she sustained in a hit-and-run car crash in early January.
The congressman and his wife were both originally expected “to be okay” after a “pretty bad” car crash while returning to Washington, DC on Jan. 5, President Trump announced ahead of a House Republican policy retreat the following day.
Baird’s office confirmed the matriarch’s passing in a heartbreaking statement shared Sunday morning.
“Congressman Baird and Danise were married for 59 years, building a life centered on faith, family, and service. A devoted wife and loving mother of three, she was the foundation of their family and will be deeply missed. We ask that you keep the Congressman and his family in your prayers during this difficult time,” his office wrote.
The couple, who were “high school sweethearts,” share three children, according to the biography on the Republican’s congressional office website.
They were both hospitalized in the aftermath of the devastating crash.
Baird, 80, was released from the hospital on Jan. 6, but wore a neck brace for a few weeks after. Danise, who sustained a staggering “15 breaks and fractures,” was discharged on Jan. 12, their son Beau Baird confirmed in a post on Facebook.
Beau — who claimed his father’s Indiana legislative seat when the elder Baird departed for the US House of Representatives — posted on Feb. 1 that Danise had taken her “first assisted steps” since the crash. In the optimistic post, he noted that the family knew “there’s still a road ahead.”
Beau said that he’d primarily been sharing updates on his father because Danise “is a very private person” with “a long recovery ahead of her.”
Then, on Sunday, Beau posted: “3/1/26 6:31:10 am” — the date and time of Danise’s passing — ahead of his father’s official confirmation of her death.
Many politicians offered up their prayers on the Baird family’s behalf.
“Jim’s wife Danise was often by his side as he worked so hard in Congress on behalf of his constituents. They are salt of the earth people and Jim and his family have sacrificed so much for our country,” New York Rep. Elise Stefanik wrote on X.
“Our sympathies and condolences to Jim and his family. We admire them both and their 59 years of marriage. I enjoyed getting to know Danise, and we’ll hold Jim in our prayers,” Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon wrote.
“Join me in praying for [Jim], my good friend [Beau] and their entire family. May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding wash over them today and in the weeks and months ahead,” Indiana State Rep. Jake Teshka added.
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