Thread: Police find man thought responsible for Govenors crash

Police Find Man Blamed in Corzine Crash
Governor Said to Be Doing Well After Second Surgery
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
AP
TRENTON, N.J. (April 14) - Surgery on Gov. Jon S. Corzine 's injured leg was successful Saturday, while state police said the driver blamed for the wreck that critically injured the governor had been found but would not be charged.
Corzine's recovery was progressing better than doctors expected, said Dr. Steven Ross, head of trauma at Cooper University Hospital. Doctors cleaned a 6-inch wound during surgery on his left thigh.

The governor is not able to speak and not aware of his surroundings because of his heavy sedation. He is expected to remain on a ventilator until at least Monday, doctors said.

"He awakens, answers to simple 'yes or no' questions about pain," Ross said. "He won't remember much of what is going on at this point."

Corzine was hurt Thursday when the SUV he was riding in was clipped by a vehicle that swerved to avoid a red pickup truck that officials said was being driven erratically. Corzine's vehicle slammed into a guard rail along the Garden State Parkway in Galloway Township, near Atlantic City.

The 20-year-old driver of the red truck involved in the wreck was found Friday night at an Atlantic City casino where he works and interviewed by police, police said. He wasn't charged because he didn't realize he caused the crash, police said.

The driver's identity was not released because he was not charged, state police said.

A state official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly, said the driver was a "special needs driver" who may have a mental impairment. Corzine _ who was riding in a sport utility vehicle driven by a state trooper and headed to a meeting between radio show host Don Imus and the Rutgers women's basketball team _ apparently was not wearing his seat belt, as required by law.

The governor's femur bone was broken in two places, and it protruded through his skin. He also suffered a broken sternum, 12 broken ribs, a head laceration and a minor fracture on a lower vertebra, according to doctors at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he was flown by helicopter after the crash. Corzine, 60, did not appear to suffer any brain damage.

His injuries were not considered life-threatening, but doctors say the governor faces lengthy rehabilitation. And it will likely be at least three to six months before he can walk normally.

A similar surgery to clean out Corzine's femur was planned again Monday, Dr. Robert F. Ostrum said.

Tom Shea, the governor's chief of staff, said he was hopeful Corzine could resume his duties in "a week or so," depending on doctor recommendations. Shea said it was possible Corzine would govern from his hospital bed.

Corzine was moved to the trauma intensive care unit after surgery Thursday night and remained in critical but stable condition Saturday.

Senate President Richard Codey officially became acting governor Thursday evening after getting a fax from Corzine's office saying the governor had been injured.

A state official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly, said the driver was a "special needs driver" who may have a mental impairment.

Since when does NJ have SPECIAL NEEDS DRIVERS????

Is this some sick freaking JOKE?

Ummmm yeah, that's what I was thinking too.
I mean, if the guy is implying that the man driving the red truck was not going to be charged because he was unaware that he had caused a wreck because he was mentally impared somehow.....What the heck?

Should this man be driving if he is THAT impared?

I've never heard of special needs drivers either Sis!

What a bunch of nonsense.

There is more to this story I'm sure.

Does this mean the driver of said vehicle uses a white cane to see where he's going, or maybe a guide dog?

What does "Special Needs" mean? He doesn't speak English? Can't read road signs, and speed limit signs? Or can't see the divider lines on the roads, let alone traffic signals? If this person requires Special Needs, they shouldn't be behind the wheel of a vehicle. End of topic! No debate necessary! Get a bicycle, or a horse.

What if he's illegal like we all speculated before?

Originally Posted by CCUSA

What if he's illegal like we all speculated before?

It was a "white pickup driving erratically" that caused the red truck to swerve into the governors vehicle. Sound familiar?

Instead of finding the cause of the accident they are now focusing on seatbelt safety. Now we will never know the reason behind this crash.

PSA made by Jon Corzine for seatbelt safety. Video is on the left side under the governors picture;


http://fe16.news.sp1.yahoo.com/s/ap/200 ... _seat_belt

IMO This article by MaryClaire Dale is what I call inventionist history and butt-covering to the hilt. The only people responsible were the governor himself and the law enforcement agent(a State Trooper) who was driving his vehicle. It's hard to feel sorry for the guy, all things considered, all the more so seeing the way it's being handled public relations-wise by his minions along with law enforcement. They're not getting off the hook that easy.

That kind of "reporting" is also the primary reason I cancelled my subscription to the local rag here about 4 years back - it seems they're all the same.


http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/19/magazin ... /index.htm

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- When the story first came out, the only appropriate response was sympathy. Jon Corzine, the well-regarded governor of New Jersey and former co-CEO of Goldman Sachs (Charts, Fortune 500), was critically injured last week in an accident on the Garden State Parkway. He was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Camden with a broken leg, collarbone, a dozen ribs, and other injuries.

The initial description of the incident steered the blame away from Corzine and focused attention on another driver. According to newspaper reports based on accounts by authorities, the Chevy Suburban in which Corzine was riding hit a guardrail on the parkway after swerving to avoid another driver in a red pickup truck who was pulling off the shoulder. Corzine was thrown from the front seat of the vehicle into the back seat and badly beaten up.
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But almost immediately, facts began to trickle out that indicated this was more than a case of bad luck. Indeed, Corzine's accident could become a case study for what not to do in a car. A high profile accident like this one - regardless of who is at fault - is likely to focus attention again on the issue of automobile safety, and whether automakers are doing enough to keep drivers and passengers safe.

Fact Number One: Why was Corzine thrown around the inside of the vehicle? Simple - he wasn't wearing a seat belt. "It was not his habit," said a former aide, Scott Kisch, to Newsday. Kisch was Corzine's driver when he served in the U.S. Senate. "You had to tell him if you wanted him to wear it. I gave up early on."

Not wearing a seat belt happens to be a violation of New Jersey state law. It is also beyond stupid. I won't drive down my driveway to the mailbox without buckling up.

Fact Number Two: Corzine was going too fast - way too fast. When originally questioned about the accident, Corzine's driver, a state trooper, had told investigators he didn't know how fast he was driving. A state police official added that speed was "not a factor" in the accident. But a crash data recorder in the Suburban told another story. It turns out that Corzine was leading a two-car caravan with emergency lights flashing that was going down the road at 91 miles per hour. The speed limit on the parkway is 65 mph.
Where's the fire?

If you or I had been pulled over by a trooper going 91 mph it is hard to imagine what a reasonable answer would be to the question, "Where are you going in such a hurry?" Turns out Corzine didn't have one either. He was heading to a meeting between disgraced radio host Don Imus and the Rutgers women's basketball team. Important? Yes. Worth endangering your life for? Probably not. In fact, if Corzine had been traveling at a mere 60 mph, he would have had so much time that he would have beaten the basketball players there.

Fact Number Three: The state police driver had been involved in four - count 'em, four - previous accidents, two while on duty. One hopes that Corzine selects better-qualified people for other state jobs.

Fact Number Four: Police caught up with the driver of that red pickup they said caused the accident. But it turns out he wasn't responsible. He had pulled over the side of the road to make way for Corzine's motorcade, its lights blaring. When he swerved back on the road, another pickup truck behind him swerved to avoid hitting him, and collided with the Suburban. The driver of the second truck wasn't to blame, either.

Concluded the New York Times, from which much of this account was gleaned: "It now seems clear that Mr. Corzine's own vehicle was responsible for the crash."

{continued at source}