Byrd taken to hospital after fall

A health scare Tuesday morning sent an ambulance to the home of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), although a spokesman said the senator likely won't need hospitalization.

Byrd stood up too quickly and fell in his home, said spokesman Jesse Jacobs, prompting a caregiver to call an ambulance out of caution. The senator was taken to an undisclosed hospital to be checked out.

Byrd, 91, the longest-serving senator in American history, has endured several health scares in recent years, and was hospitalized for a prolonged period this past spring after developing a staph infection.

UPDATE: Byrd's office announced that the senator has been admitted to the hospital. Though the senator broke no bones during his fall, doctors found that his white blood cell count was elevated, possibly indicating an infection.

"Therefore, his doctors have determined that Byrd should remain in the hospital for antibiotic treatment and observation," Byrd's office announced in a statement. "Sen. Byrd is in good spirits and expressed his disappointment that he was unable to join all his Senate colleagues this afternoon for the biennial Senate photo."