Shurtleff has 6th surgery on injured leg

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is recovering from surgery for an infection he has developed in a leg he severely injured in a motorcycle crash.

The attorney general underwent surgery on Friday night after being rushed to the hospital by his family.

Tests will be conducted to determine if the attorney general has contracted a staph infection.

The surgery was Shurtleff's sixth since the motorcycle crash last September. The attorney general was preparing for a charity ride when he slid on a patch of gravel on a Lindon street and laid a Harley-Davidson on top of his left leg, shattering bones.

The injury left Shurtleff in traction, then in a wheelchair and on crutches. Most recently, he has been seen at public events limping. Office staffers were often overheard worrying about his leg, but he would tell them he'd rest later.

The attorney general returned late Thursday from a conference of the National Association of Attorneys General in Rhode Island. His leg had swollen again, and he was complaining of pain, Murphy said. His family took him to University Hospital on Friday morning.

"The pain just became unbearable," he said.

A hospital spokesman could not immediately release Shurtleff's condition.

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