Apr 17, 2007 4:14 pm US/Eastern
Official: Corzine's SUV Traveled 91 Miles Per Hour
Posted Speed Limit Is 65 MPH
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) ―
-
-
A state official says the driver of Gov. Jon S. Corzine's SUV was speeding when it crashed on the Garden State Parkway.
AP
-
-
New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine continues to recover following a serious car accident that left him with a broken leg and a dozen fractured ribs.;
Stan Honda-Pool/Getty Images
The superintendent of the state police says Gov. Jon S. Corzine's SUV was traveling at approximately 91 mph seconds before it crashed into a guardrail on the Garden State Parkway, critically injuring the governor last week.
The speed limit along that stretch of the parkway in Galloway Township is 65 mph.
The state trooper-driven SUV carrying the governor from Atlantic City to Princeton Thursday evening was in the left lane with its emergency lights flashing when another vehicle tried to get out of its way. Instead, it set off a chain reaction that resulted in an accident leaving the governor with life-threatening injuries.
The state police released the first official account of the ongoing investigation Tuesday.
The report that the SUV was speeding seemed to conflict with what Fuentes said hours after the accident when he said speed did not appear to be a factor.
"From our preliminary investigation, it looks as if the trooper did a tremendous job in maintaining what control he could over that vehicle, given the fact that the other vehicle swerved into his path," Fuentes said Thursday.
Meanwhile, Corzine remained in intensive care Tuesday at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he was flown Thursday after the Suburban he was riding in crashed into a guard rail on the Parkway. On his way from a speech in Atlantic City, Corzine was running late to a meeting between the Rutgers women's basketball team and radio host Don Imus, who had been fired earlier Thursday for uttering a racial slur about the players.
Corzine, who apparently was not wearing a seat belt, was the only one seriously injured in the crash. He broke 11 ribs and numerous other bones, including a leg fracture requiring three surgeries to repair. He remained on a ventilator Tuesday to ease the pain of breathing with multiple fractures. Doctors were assessing when he might be able to breathe on his own.
Despite the long list of injuries, doctors have said he doesn't have brain damage or paralysis, and is doing well for someone who sustained so many injuries.
The governor, who was in the front passenger seat and apparently not wearing a seat belt, was thrown to the back of the vehicle and sustained critical injuries. Robert Rasinski, who was driving, and an aide to the governor, were not seriously hurt.
A law enforcement official with knowledge of the security detail said Corzine's driver likely drove slightly faster than the traffic flow to keep another vehicle from riding alongside the governor, posing a possible security breach.
"You always assume the worst risk," said the official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak about the accident or the investigation.
There is no timetable for when Corzine may be able to resume governing the state. Sen. President Richard J. Codey is acting governor.
Once Corzine is breathing unassisted, he should be able to speak. That milestone would make it possible for physical therapists to do more to help him regain use of his leg -- a process that's expected to take up to six months.
Corzine, a 60-year-old former investment banker, gave up his seat in the U.S. Senate to become governor in 2006.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT 27 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Comments