N.J. governor will pay for medical costs of crash

updated 3:59 p.m. ET April 27, 2007

TRENTON, N.J. - Gov. Jon S. Corzine will forgo his state health insurance and spend hundreds of thousands of his own money to pay for his medical care from a serious car accident, a spokesman said Friday.

The spokesman for Corzine, a multimillionaire from his days leading Goldman Sachs, made the announcement after the governor posed Thursday for photos and told The Associated Press: "I'm the most blessed person who ever lived."

The Democrat's decision to pay for his own health care from the April 12 accident spares taxpayers a hefty tab.

"He's been fortunate in life and there's no reason to have taxpayers foot the bill," spokesman Anthony Coley said.

Corzine is otherwise covered by the state's medical insurance plan, like all state workers.

"We don't know yet the total cost of his care right now, but we expect it will be hundreds of thousands of dollars," Coley said. "From the Medevac helicopter to the hospital stay to the cheeseburgers to the strawberry milkshakes, the governor intends to pay for all of it himself."

Sitting in a chair next to his hospital bed Thursday, Corzine appeared in good spirits as state workers prepared for him to resume his duties from the governor's mansion in Princeton just north of the Capitol in Trenton. They were installing fiber optic cable to allow Corzine to do video conferencing from Princeton, where he will undergo physical therapy, Coley said.

But Coley said no decision has been made on when Corzine will return to work. Corzine could be released from Cooper University Hospital in Camden as soon as Monday, Coley said.

Senate President Richard J. Codey has been working as acting governor since the accident left Corzine with a broken leg and other injuries, including 11 broken ribs and a cracked collarbone and sternum.

"We are in no rush for the governor to resume his duties," Coley said. "We are in very good hands with acting Gov. Codey."

He said Corzine is expected to walk with either a cane or a walker for at least six months.

The 60-year-old governor's SUV was being driven by a state trooper at 91 mph when it was clipped by a truck and lost control on the Garden State Parkway, slamming into a guard rail. Corzine wasn't wearing his seat belt, as required by state law.

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