A 72-year-old Lawrence man was flown to Kansas University Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., with serious but nonlife-threatening injuries after being hit and dragged by his vehicle Wednesday morning.

Raymond G. Davis, a retired Kansas University professor and father of House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, was backing out of his driveway in the 1100 block of West Hills Parkway when he apparently bumped a trash can, according to Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence Police Department spokesman. Davis got out of his car to reset the trash can and apparently did not put the car in park, McKinley said.

When the car began rolling backward, Davis lost his footing and was dragged into the street, where one of the car’s tires ran over him, police said.

Last month, Paul Davis announced his intention to challenge Gov. Sam Brownback in the 2014 gubernatorial election.

On Wednesday, Davis said his father was stable and resting at KU Hospital.

“My family and I extend our deepest gratitude to our neighbors and the first responders for their immediate assistance in this emergency,” Davis said in a prepared statement, requesting that his family be granted privacy as his father recovered.