Mr. Kerry canceled the remainder of the overseas trip, which began with talks with his Iranian counterpart on Saturday.
He was originally set to return to the U.S. late Sunday for treatment in Boston, but doctors decided to keep him hospitalized overnight in Geneva for observation, purely as a precaution, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
The 71-year-old diplomat was cycling near Scionzier, France, near the Swiss border, on Sunday morning when he crashed. He was flown by helicopter to the hospital in Geneva, where doctors determined he had fractured his right femur, Mr. Kirby said.
Mr. Kerry is an avid cyclist who regularly takes a bicycle with him for exercise on overseas trips, and his rides have become a familiar sight during the Iran negotiations.
The accident comes at an crucial moment in the Obama administration’s long-running push to reach a final nuclear agreement with Iran. Mr. Kerry has made the Iran talks a personal priority, taking the U.S. lead on the negotiations.
His injury could leave him on the sidelines during part or all of the final few weeks.
However, Jen Psaki, Mr. Kerry’s former spokeswoman who is now the White House communications director, said she expected Mr. Kerry to press ahead with his role in the talks.
”I would love to see anyone at the hospital try to stop John Kerry from negotiating and working while recovering from breaking his leg,” she said on Twitter.
Mr. Kerry was to have flown Sunday to Spain to sign a deal allowing for the expansion of a U.S. military contingent at the Morón air base there, as part of a rapid-response force for crises around the region. A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said it would be done at a later date.
From there, Mr. Kerry had planned to go to Paris for a meeting of countries in the coalition to counter Islamic State.
Saturday’s meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif sought to bridge some of the significant divisions that remain between Iran and six world powers seeking to curtail its nuclear program.
U.S. officials have said they aren’t considering extending the June 30 deadline, though other Western diplomats have said the talks are likely to go beyond that date.
Mr. Kerry was expected to keep up his brisk travel schedule this summer, focused on Iran as well as possibly opening a U.S. embassy in Cuba. Mr. Kerry also is involved in negotiations to conclude landmark international climate and trade deals.
It was unclear Sunday the extent to which his travel schedule would be interrupted or when he could resume it.
Mr. Kerry was to depart Geneva on an aircraft “outfitted to ensure he remains comfortable and stable throughout the flight,” Mr. Kirby said.
The rest of those traveling with Mr. Kerry were to head back to the U.S. on Mr. Kerry’s regular aircraft, Mr. Kirby said.
Paramedics and a physician were traveling with Mr. Kerry’s motorcade at the time of the crash and he didn’t lose consciousness, Mr. Kirby said.
The same doctor who performed an earlier right-hip replacement operation in 2009 will treat the secretary for the injury in Boston. Mr. Kerry underwent that surgery to address chronic pain and flexibility issues and had his left hip replaced the following year.
Dr. Steven Weinfeld, an orthopedic surgeon at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who isn’t treating Mr. Kerry, said he likely will be unable to travel for four to six weeks.
Dr. Weinfeld added that such an injury will require surgery, and it could take several months for Mr. Kerry to recover from the injury fully. Mr. Kerry is active and in good health, which bodes well for his recovery, Dr. Weinfeld said.
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