Katie Arrington appears in an image taken from her campaign site.
SC candidate hospitalized after car accident
01:43 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

South Carolina congressional candidate Katie Arrington is in the hospital with serious injuries after being involved in a fatal car wreck Friday night.

Arrington was traveling on a highway in the passenger seat when another driver traveling in the wrong direction struck the car carrying her and a friend, her campaign said on Twitter. She and her friend were driving to Hilton Head, where Arrington was scheduled to receive an award Saturday morning, her campaign said.

According to her campaign, Arrington suffered a fracture to her back, broken ribs, and a partial collapse of the main artery in her legs. She will have to undergo “major surgery” to remove a portion of her small intestine and a portion of her colon, and will require a stent in the main artery in her legs.

Her spokesperson Michael Mule said Saturday morning that Arrington was alert and recovering in the Medical University of South Carolina hospital. Her family was with her at the hospital, Mule said.

Her campaign said later Saturday that Arrington “remains in critical but stable condition” and is scheduled for “another major surgical procedure” Sunday morning.

“She remains humbled, encouraged, and deeply moved by the outpouring of support and prayers being offered from across the country,” her campaign posted on Twitter.

Arrington’s campaign anticipates that she will likely remain hospitalized for the next two weeks.

“As we all know, Katie Arrington is an extremely strong woman and has tremendous faith and an incredibly supportive family,” her campaign said on Twitter.

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to CNN that the other woman in the car with Arrington was identified as Jacqueline Goff.

Both Arrington and Goff sustained serious injuries and were transported to the hospital, according to Capt. Roger Antonio, a public information officer.

The sheriff’s office said the driver of the second vehicle died at the scene. The coroner’s office is working to identify the deceased party, Antonio added.

The sheriff’s office is still investigating the incident, Antonio told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield in a phone interview Saturday on “CNN Newsroom.”

The collision occurred around 9 pm, ET on Highway 17 in Adams Run, according to the sheriff’s office. The highway is unlit at night and in a rural area of South Carolina, according to Antonio.

Arrington’s Democratic opponent, Joe Cunningham, announced Saturday morning that he’s suspending his campaign out of respect for her recovery.

“Just hearing about the terrible accident that occurred overnight involving Katie Arrington. Amanda and I are lifting her and her family up in prayer right now. Please join us,” Cunningham wrote on Twitter. “We are suspending all campaign activities until further notice.”

Cunningham’s campaign did not immediately return CNN’s request for comment.

South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford, who lost to Arrington in the Republican primary last week, said on Twitter, “Our thoughts and prayers this morning go to Katie Arrington, her family and those involved in last night’s automobile accident.”

Another South Carolina politician, Sen. Tim Scott, who used to hold the seat Arrington is running for, said on Twitter his “prayers are with Katie Arrington and her family this morning, as well as the families of the others involved in last night’s crash.”

“We hope for your speedy and full recovery. Wishing you, your family, and those involved in the accident well,” the National Republican Congressional Committee posted on Twitter.

CNN’s Holly Roberts and Donald Judd contributed to this report.