Top Stories

by Magee Hickey
PRINCETON, N.J. (CBS/AP) ― Jon S. Corzine resumed his duties as governor Monday, nearly a month after a high-speed crash on the Garden State Parkway almost killed him.

He can walk again, but only slowly and with special crutches, and he plans to work from the governor's mansion at first rather than trying to return to the Statehouse.

"The most important thing for me to express, again, is my gratitude for so many people who have made it possible for me to be sitting here," Corzine said Monday outside the mansion in Princeton. He used the crutches to maneuver down five steps to a chair set up for his news conference.

The governor's State Police-driven SUV had been going 91 mph with Corzine unbuckled in the front passenger seat when it crashed April 12, breaking Corzine's leg, 11 ribs, his collarbone and his sternum. He underwent three surgeries on the leg and was on a ventilator for more than a week.

Corzine has repeatedly said he was to blame for not wearing a seat belt, as required by state law. Last week, he voluntarily paid a $46 fine for the violation.

On Monday, he reiterated his regret for not wearing a seat belt, something he called a bad habit he never plans to repeat.

"I make no excuse," Corzine said. "I only can hope that my bad example will be proof positive to the public, and other people who may want to use it, that it's not worth it.

"I can promise you, buckling up is a hell of a lot easier on your body and health than what I'm going through," he added.

Corzine said he decided to get back to work this week after speaking Friday with doctors and lawyers. Senate President Richard J. Codey had assumed the role of acting governor while Corzine recovered, just as he had after the resignation of Corzine's predecessor, James E. McGreevey, in 2004.

Since Corzine doesn't expect to conduct any ceremonial events any time soon, he will focus on policy initiatives as he recovers.

"It's time for me to get to work," Corzine said.

The state budget must be completed by the Legislature by June 30, and a possible proposal to lease state assets, such as toll roads, to pay down debt is on the table.

Corzine stressed that he will have to balance work with recovering from his injuries. He is undergoing intensive physical therapy, and exercise equipment has been installed in the mansion's second-floor living area.

When asked on Monday how the accident would affect his policy decisions going forward, he said he would have less patience for partisan fighting.

"I don't have much tolerance for fighting for fighting sake," he said. "Been there, done that."

Corzine said he's given no thought to resigning.

"It's because I love it that I want to get back at it," the Democrat said.

Dr. Steven Ross, head of trauma at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where Corzine was hospitalized, said Corzine will do physical therapy twice daily and may start pool therapy in the next week. The pool at the governor's mansion will be heated for Corzine, a multimillionaire who said he will pay all costs associated with his medical treatment.

Ross said Corzine has recovered rapidly.

"He's extremely sharp," Ross said, declining to detail what pain medication the governor is taking.

New Jersey Attorney General Stuart Rabner said he met with Corzine Friday and found no problems with his return.

"His back and forth and ability to comprehend was what I remember before the accident," Rabner said.

At the time of the crash, Corzine was headed to a meeting with radio show host Don Imus and members of the Rutgers women's basketball team. He said he wasn't paying attention to his driver's speed, but he praised him and another state trooper who Corzine said shielded him from a fire in the SUV that was quickly extinguished.

Corzine said he doesn't remember much about the accident. He recalls working on papers when the SUV was clipped, then realizing things were about to get worse.

"You have one of those slow motion moments when you know something not good is going to happen," he said.

He said he feared he might die, recalling that he was in horrible pain on the medical helicopter that took him to the hospital in Camden.

The governor said he saw for the first time Monday video of himself being treated at the accident scene and being rushed on a stretcher to the helicopter.

"It catches your attention," he said, "but I'm moving on, just moving on."

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)