David Becker / Getty Images A multi-vehicle accident involving the caravan of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) clogs traffic along Interstate 15 in Las Vegas on Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was treated at a Las Vegas emergency room for minor rib and hip injuries after the vehicle in which he was riding was involved in an apparent chain-reaction accident Friday, according to his staff and news reports.

"Senator Reid was taken to University Medical Center Hospital by his security detail as a precaution, and walked in on his own," said a statement released by Reid's office to NBC News. "Senator Reid was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident. He experienced rib and hip contusions and has been cleared for release by the doctors."

Some of Reid's staff members also suffered minor injuries and were evaluated at the hospital, according to the statement.

Reid was discharged from the hospital less than three hours after the accident, a hospital spokeswoman told NBC News.

Nevada Highway Patrol Office spokesman Jeremie Elliott said the apparent chain-reaction crash happened about 1:10 p.m. Friday on Interstate 15, according to The Associated Press. The freeway runs parallel to the Las Vegas Strip.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper said the accident involved two Las Vegas police vehicles and two Capitol police vehicles that were part of Reid's motorcade and two civilian vehicles.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.

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Brendan Hoffman / Getty Images Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid suffered minor injuries in a rear-end car accident Friday in Las Vegas, a statement from his office.

The 72-year-old Reid spoke earlier in the day at a Las Vegas ceremony celebrating the National Atomic Testing Museum, which was officially named a "national" museum Friday.

Officials in Reid's office said it wasn't immediately clear where Reid was headed, but first lady Michelle Obama was set to give a speech at Orr Middle School in Las Vegas Friday afternoon, and Reid's wife, Landra, was speaking at the event.

Reid was also due to speak to the editorial board of Spanish-language newspaper El Tiempo at 2:30 p.m., according to the newspaper's editor.

This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.

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