MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS) — Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr released a video Friday morning to update residents on his condition following a serious training accident at his Lascassas farm earlier this week. In the message, he said: “I’m progressing — well, the pain is pretty significant, as much as I’ve ever had to deal with — but we’re progressing nicely and I fully expect that I’ll be discharged later today and, with a little bit of work and a lot of prayer, I can be back at work on Monday in some limited capacity. Thank you for all the prayers, God bless, and Rutherford County is a great place — thank you.”

The mayor had been hospitalized with multiple serious injuries, including nine broken ribs, a lacerated liver, and a semi-collapsed lung, after a horse-training incident with his son at his farm in Lascassas. He was initially transported by the county emergency medical services to a Murfreesboro hospital and later transferred to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center trauma unit in Nashville for specialized care. 

While Mayor Carr acknowledged the severity of his injuries, his tone in the video was optimistic, emphasizing his gratitude for the medical team, for the community’s support, and for the opportunity to recover. “This is the first time I’ve spent the night in a hospital in 65 years,” he noted in earlier comments, underscoring the unusual nature of the incident.

County officials say Carr is slated for discharge later today (Friday), and while he hopes to return to duty Monday, he anticipates initially resuming in a limited capacity as he recovers. The mayor asked constituents to keep him in their prayers and expressed thanks to residents and first-responders alike.