Stitches for Arnie after bike crash

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger received 15 stitches in his lip after he and his 12-year-old son were involved in a motorcycle accident near their home.

Schwarzenegger was riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle with his son Patrick in the sidecar when another driver backed into the street, spokeswoman Margita Thompson said in a statement.

“The governor was unable to avoid the vehicle in his path and collided with it at a low speed,” she said.

Former movie star Schwarzenegger and his son were treated for cuts and bruises at St John’s Hospital in Santa Monica and released, Thompson said. Both were wearing helmets at the time, she said. They were recovering at home last night.

The other driver was not injured. No citations were issued in the accident in the city’s Brentwood section, said police officer Jason Lee.

The governor was expected to keep his appointments today.

In December 2001, Schwarzenegger broke six ribs and was in hospital for four days after a motorcycle crash in Los Angeles.

The accident occurred when a car stopped in front of him and he was unable to change lanes to avoid the vehicle. His ribs were broken when his chest hit the motorcycle windshield.

“It was very painful, much more painful than the heart surgery,” he said at the time, referring to an operation he had in 1997 to replace a heart valve. “A rib breaking is like the worst.”