AP News, September 17th, 2007
New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine underwent surgery Monday to remove excess bone growth in the leg he broke in a near-fatal car crash last spring.
Corzine transferred gubernatorial power to Senate President Richard J. Codey five minutes before he was sedated for surgery at Cooper University Hospital, Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton said.
The governor first underwent a low-dose radiation treatment on the leg to prevent future bone growth. The surgery, in which doctors cut excess bone from his left femur with a chisel, took a little over an hour.
Corzine was in stable condition afterward and likely won't need more surgery, said Dr. Robert Ostrum.
"He tolerated the procedure well," Ostrum said. The surgeon said he removed five to 10 pounds of excess bone.
Stainton said Corzine, 60, visited with his son and daughter in his recovery room after the surgery and ordered chicken soup. He moved to a hospital room hours later. Corzine was expected to resume his duties "sometime in the next day or so" and leave the hospital Wednesday or Thursday, she said.
Corzine 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 had 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 had been walking on his own for several weeks, but with a limp. Ostrum said most people can bend their knees 130 degrees, but Corzine could only bend his 90 degrees.
Codey already has plenty of experience as acting governor. He served as acting governor from November 2004 to January 2006 after former Gov. James E. McGreevey resigned. Codey, a Democrat like Corzine, also filled in for Corzine for more than three weeks after the crash and is frequently transferred power when Corzine is out of the state.
