State Rep. Minnie Gonzalez of Hartford Resting After Fall At Capitol

State Rep. Minnie Gonzalez was resting comfortably Tuesday night after a fall at the state Capitol that sent her to the hospital.

Gonzalez, a veteran Hartford Democrat who has served in the legislature since January 1997, fell outside the Hall of the House during the busy session as her colleagues debated throughout the day on multiple bills.

House Majority Leader J. Brendan Sharkey announced to the chamber shortly before 10 p.m. that Gonzalez had “no broken bones” and was “now home, resting comfortably.”

The legislators broke out into applause after hearing that Gonzalez had not suffered any serious injuries.

House Speaker Christopher Donovan announced that he wanted to remind everyone to be careful because many people have fallen down the stairs at the Capitol through the years.

“All the best to Minnie,” Donovan said.

In 1996, former Senate Republican leader M. Adela Eads was walking with an aide at the age of 76 when she slipped and fell on the hard, stone steps at the Capitol, breaking her collarbone. After a quick trip to the hospital and a dose of painkillers, she returned to work the next morning — the opening day of the session — with her arm in a sling and a smile on her face. She received a rousing ovation in the Hall of the House as she stood on the dais. 

A year later, Eads flipped her Chevrolet Blazer on a snow-covered highway in Litchfield County and ended up hanging upside down in her car. Her face was badly bruised by the air bag that she said saved her life. 

Eads, who was the longest-serving woman in the General Assembly when she retired in 2000, died in 2003.