N.J. Governor Remains Critical but Stable

Corzine Apparently Was Not Wearing Seat Belt in Crash

NEW YORK, April 13 -- New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine (D) was apparently not wearing a seat belt when the vehicle in which he was riding spun out of control and hit a guardrail on the Garden State Parkway, aides said Friday.

Corzine remained Friday in critical but stable condition after the Thursday-evening accident. He was still on a breathing tube and heavily sedated in the intensive-care unit of Camden's Cooper University Hospital, Steven E. Ross, the hospital's head of trauma surgery, said at a news conference.

It could be days or weeks before the governor is able to resume decision-making, according to Robert F. Ostrum, Cooper's director of orthopedic trauma, and months before he is fully mobile. Corzine broke a collarbone, his left femur, his sternum and six ribs on each side in the accident, according to doctors and government officials. He also fractured a lower vertebra, lost blood and sustained injuries to his lungs.

"Based on pictures I've seen of the crash, I think he's lucky," Ross said.

State Senate President Richard J. Codey, like Corzine a Democrat, has assumed his duties as acting governor. Codey served as governor for 14 months following the 2004 resignation of former governor James McGreevey, who stepped down after disclosing an extramarital affair with a man.

Corzine, 60, had been traveling from Atlantic City to Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion in Princeton, for a meeting between the Rutgers University women's basketball team and Don Imus, the talk-show host who was fired after he made racist and sexist comments about the players. The meeting proceeded without him.

The governor was sitting in the front passenger seat of a sport-utility vehicle driven by a state trooper when a red Ford pickup truck on the shoulder of the road turned erratically onto the highway, according to Sgt. Stephen Jones, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police. A white Dodge Ram pickup truck swerved to avoid the Ford and hit the governor's vehicle. That caused the governor's Chevrolet Suburban to spin out of control and hit a guardrail, Jones said.

State police are now searching for the erratic driver, who did not stop at the accident site, according to Jones.

The governor was flown by helicopter to the Camden hospital. His driver, state trooper Robert Rasinski, suffered minor injuries and was flown separately to the same hospital, Jones said. Corzine aide Samantha Gordon, who had been a passenger in the back seat, also went to the hospital for evaluation.

Corzine spokesman Anthony Coley said it appeared that the governor had not been wearing a seat belt, as required by New Jersey law. Violators face a $46 fine.

Corzine chief of staff Tom Shea said, "If he was not, he certainly should have been, and we would encourage the state police to issue a citation."

Shea added that the governor was "not always amenable to suggestion," such as to put on his seat belt.

[A law enforcement official close to the investigation told the Associated Press that the governor typically does not wear his seat belt, and that his trooper detail had not been successful in persuading him. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing a lack of authorization to speak on the matter.]

Shea said at the news conference that Corzine is not likely to be awake often or lucid in coming days.

"This is a very somber day for the state of New Jersey," said Codey, standing at Shea's side.

The governor had surgery to implant a metal rod in his leg, and he is scheduled to undergo two more operations, on Saturday and Monday, to clean his wounds and prevent infection, said Ostrum, the orthopedic surgeon.