AP Features, September 17th, 2007
New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine arrived at a hospital Monday for radiation treatment and surgery to remove excess bone growth in the leg he broke in a near-fatal car accident in April.
The surgery will require Corzine to again transfer power to Senate President Richard J. Codey and spend several days at Cooper University Hospital.
Corzine, 60, was a front-seat passenger and not wearing a seat belt when his state trooper-driven sport utility vehicle slammed into a guardrail at high speed after it was clipped by a pickup truck on the Garden State Parkway. A state police report determined that improper use of emergency lights by Corzine's driver triggered the events that led to the crash.
The crash broke Corzine's left leg in two places, and he now has an excess growth common in patients with severe femur injuries. The condition, known as heterotopic ossification, occurs when the growth extends into muscle, causing discomfort, diminished motion and muscle weakness.
Corzine has been walking on his own for several weeks, but with a limp.
The procedures planned this week involve a low dose of radiation to prevent future bone growth and cutting excess bone growth away from Corzine's left femur with a bone chisel.
Codey already has plenty of experience as acting governor. He filled in for Corzine for more than three weeks after the crash and is frequently transferred power when Corzine is out of the state. Codey, a Democrat like Corzine, also served as acting governor from November 2004 to January 2006 after former Gov. James E. McGreevey resigned.
