Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen tapped a longtime Department of Labor attorney to serve as the agency's interim commissioner Tuesday after the former commissioner's retirement in December.

Image via Shutterstock Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen is in the hospital after getting thrown from a horse. The Midwestern politician is expected to spend several days in the hospital following the horsing accident.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s elective surgery to repair his seven broken ribs with metal plating should speed his recovery and help him better manage the pain. The Christmas Day procedure could help him better handle heading home from the hospital Friday.

The governor's office said Wednesday that Pillen chose to have a rib fixation procedure, in which doctors will use metal plates to stabilize his seven broken ribs.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen is hospitalized after he was bucked off a new horse Sunday. The accident happened when the 68-year-old was out with his family. Pillen was taken to a hospital in Columbus, Nebraska, and then transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where he is expected to stay for several days.