Gov. Corzine back at work after car crash

Jon Corzine resumed his duties as governor Monday, nearly a month after a high-speed crash on the Garden State Parkway almost killed him.

The Democrat can walk again, but only slowly and with special crutches, and he plans to work from the governor’s mansion at first rather than trying to return to the Statehouse.

“The most important thing for me to express, again, is my gratitude for so many people who have made it possible for me to be sitting here,” Corzine said Monday outside the mansion in Princeton. He used the crutches to maneuver down five steps to a chair set up for his news conference.

A state trooper was driving 91 mph with Corzine unbuckled in the front passenger seat when their SUV crashed April 12, breaking Corzine’s left leg, 11 ribs, his collarbone and his sternum. He underwent three surgeries on the leg and was on a ventilator for more than a week.

Corzine has said he was to blame for not wearing a seat belt, as required by state law. On Monday, he called it a bad habit he planned never to repeat.

“Buckling up is a hell of a lot easier on your body and health than what I’m going through,” the governor said. Last week, he voluntarily paid a $46 fine for the violation.

Corzine said he decided to get back to work this week after speaking Friday with doctors and lawyers.

Senate President Richard J. Codey acted as governor while Corzine was in the hospital, just as he had after the 2004 resignation of Corzine’s predecessor, James E. McGreevey.

Corzine doesn’t expect to conduct ceremonial events anytime soon. He will focus on policy initiatives as he recovers. The state budget must be completed by the Legislature before early July.

Corzine stressed that he would have to balance work with recovery. He is undergoing intensive physical therapy, and exercise equipment has been installed in the mansion. A portable chair lift will help him on steps.

Asked how the accident might affect his job approach in the future, Corzine replied that he would have less tolerance for partisan sniping. “I don’t have much tolerance for fighting for fighting’s sake,” he said.