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N.J. Governor Injured in Motorcade Crash
By GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press Writer
59 minutes ago
New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine, right, gets into ...
CAMDEN, N.J. - Gov. Jon S. Corzine was critically injured when his motorcade crashed Thursday en route to a meeting between radio personality Don Imus and the Rutgers women's basketball team, a doctor said.
Corzine was in critical condition at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, officials said. His injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Dr. Steven Ross, head of trauma for the hospital, said that Corzine was expected to be in surgery until early Friday morning. He was to be moved to the trauma intensive care unit following the surgery, officials said.
Corzine had a broken sternum, a broken collarbone, a slight fracture of his lower vertebrae, a broken left leg and six broken ribs on each side, Ross said. He also had a laceration on his head, but did not sustain any brain or spinal cord damage in the accident, Ross said.
The crash happened around 6 p.m. EDT on the Garden State Parkway.
A red pickup truck on the right shoulder of the highway swerved then came back onto the highway, said State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes. Another pickup in the right lane swerved into the passenger side of the sport utility vehicle in which Corzine was riding, he said.
The SUV was driven by Trooper Robert Rasinski. He also suffered minor injuries, and was resting comfortably, Fuentes said. An aide to the governor also was in the vehicle, but was not injured, authorities said.
"It looks as if the trooper did a tremendous job doing what he could to maintain control of that vehicle," Fuentes said.
Fuentes and Ross said it was unclear if the governor was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash. Authorities were still searching for the red pickup truck and its driver.
Corzine had been in Atlantic City, but was returning to the governor's mansion in Princeton for the meeting between Imus and Rutgers. A spokesman for the governor, Brendan Gilfillan, said Corzine had offered the use of the mansion.
Imus was fired from his radio program Thursday amid furor about racially charged comments he made about the team on air. The closed-door meeting went on without Corzine, and lasted for about three hours.
While Corzine is hospitalized, state Senate President Richard Codey will serve as acting governor.
