Corzine's Car Was Speeding

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A state official says the driver of New Jersey Govenor Corzine's SUV was speeding when it crashed on the Garden State Parkway.

The official, who has knowledge of the investigation, declined to say how fast the SUV was traveling. The posted speed limit on the parkway is 65 mph.

The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

State police were expected to release details on the accident Tuesday afternoon.

The report that the SUV was speeding seemed to conflict with what state police Superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes said hours after the accident when Colonel Fuentes said speed did not appear to be a factor.

"From our preliminary investigation, it looks as if the trooper did a tremendous job in maintaining what control he could over that vehicle, given the fact that the other vehicle swerved into his path," Colonel Fuentes said Thursday.

Meanwhile, Mr. Corzine remained in intensive care Tuesday at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he was flown Thursday after the Suburban he was riding in crashed into a guard rail on the Parkway. On his way from a speech in Atlantic City, Mr. Corzine was running late to a meeting between the Rutgers women's basketball team and radio host Don Imus, who had been fired earlier Thursday for uttering a racial slur about the players.

Mr. Corzine, who apparently was not wearing a seat belt, was the only one seriously injured in the crash. He broke 11 ribs and numerous other bones, including a leg fracture requiring three surgeries to repair. He remained on a ventilator Tuesday to ease the pain of breathing with multiple fractures. Doctors were assessing when he might be able to breathe on his own.

Despite the long list of injuries, doctors have said he doesn't have brain damage or paralysis, and is doing well for someone who sustained so many injuries.

The governor, who was in the front passenger seat and apparently not wearing a seat belt, was thrown to the back of the vehicle and sustained critical injuries. Robert Rasinski, who was driving, and an aide to the governor, were not seriously hurt.

A law enforcement official with knowledge of the security detail said Mr. Corzine's driver likely drove slightly faster than the traffic flow to keep another vehicle from riding alongside the governor, posing a possible security breach.

"You always assume the worst risk," said the official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak about the accident or the investigation.

There is no timetable for when Mr. Corzine may be able to resume governing the state. Sen. President Richard J. Codey is acting governor.

Once Mr. Corzine is breathing unassisted, he should be able to speak. That milestone would make it possible for physical therapists to do more to help him regain use of his leg - a process that's expected to take up to six months.

Mr. Corzine, a 60-year-old former investment banker, gave up his seat in the Senate to become governor in 2006.

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Associated Press Writer Geoff Mulvihill in Camden contributed to this report.