Former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid testified Friday that his political career was cut short by a 2015 eye injury that he blames on an exercise band maker.
The 79-year-old longtime Democratic leader told a jury hearing his lawsuit Friday that his eye and face injuries were "the main factor" in not seeking a sixth Senate term in 2016.
Reid told jurors Thursday that he spun and fell face-first against cabinets in his bathroom when a flexible TheraBand device he'd looped around a shower door handle slipped from his grip as he exercised.
A company lawyer says Reid misused the device and the company isn't at fault.
Reid is suing Ohio-based Hygenic Corp. for damages. He claims civil negligence and failure to warn the public that the device is dangerous.
Reid also offered a glimpse at congressional pressure, saying he knew after initial surgeries that he had to "put up a good front" to show the Senate that he was OK.
He says he later decided he couldn't run for re-election in 2016.
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