Corzine leaves
hospital, apologizes
for failure to buckle
up
John O'Boyle, The
Star-Ledger (nj.com) April 30, 2007
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John O'Boyle/The Star-Ledger
Gov. Jon
Corzine leaves Cooper University Hospital in Camden this afternoon.
His son, Jeff, and daughter, Jennifer, stand behind him. |
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Gov. Jon Corzine left a Camden
hospital this afternoon, boarded a custom-outfitted van and rode to Drumthwacket,
his official residence in Princeton, where he will continue recuperating from
the broken bones he suffered in a car crash.
Leaving Cooper University Hospital in a wheelchair, Corzine paused to thank his
many well-wishers, say again that he feels "blessed" and apologize for failing
to buckle up on April 12, when the Chevy Suburban in which he was riding crashed
on the Garden State Parkway.
"I understand I set a very poor example for a lot of young people, a lot of
people in general,'' Corzine said. "I hope the state will forgive me."
"What a beautiful day,'' Corzine said as he was wheeled out into the sunshine.
"As I said last week, I'm a blessed human being."
Corzine broke his femur, collarbone, sternum, a vertebra and 11 ribs and was
hospitalized at Cooper for 18 days. He was sedated and on a ventilator for
more than a week.
He is expected to undergo several months of intensive rehabilitation at
Drumthwacket. He is paying to have its outdoor pool heated and the state
is installing a chair lift to carry him between the first and second floors.
A video-conferencing system also is being installed so he can participate in
meetings at the Statehouse without having to travel to Trenton.
Although he's back at the governor's mansion, he's not yet back on the job.
Senate President Richard Codey remains acting governor, and signed several
routine bills into law today.
State Police continue to investigate the accident and Attorney General Stuart
Rabner has appointed an independent eight-member panel to review the Executive
Protection Unit, the elite State Police team that guards and transports
governors. State Police have said Corzine's driver, Trooper Robert
Rasinski, was going 91 mph just before the accident. (Travelling this
afternoon, Corzine's driver stuck to the speed limit.)
After visiting the governor last week, Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts
(D-Camden) said Corzine was "immensely grateful" to his State Police detail and
considered them "heroes" for their actions on the night of the accident.
Contributed by
Deborah Howlett and Robert Schwaneberg
Updated at 4:30
p.m.
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