N.J. Gov. Corzine in car accident, leg broken

By Jon Hurdle

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine broke his leg in a hit-and-run automobile accident en route to a meeting with fired radio host Don Imus and the Rutgers University women's basketball team, a spokesman said on Thursday.

Corzine underwent surgery at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey, for a fractured left leg and broken ribs, said Dr. Steven Ross, head of trauma at the hospital.

"His injuries are not life threatening," said Anthony Coley, Corzine's spokesman.

Corzine was flown to the hospital after the 6 p.m. accident near the gambling center of Atlantic City.

A New Jersey state trooper driving the governor's sport utility vehicle was also hospitalized, said Rick Fuentes of the New Jersey State Police.

Corzine was en route to host a meeting at the governor's mansion in Trenton at which Imus was to meet and personally apologize to the Rutgers team for calling them "nappy-headed hos."

The slur, made last week, prompted CBS Radio on Thursday to pull the plug on the popular "Imus in the Morning" show -- which blended locker-room humor with interviews with A-list politicians and celebrities -- following days of uproar.

The governor's car collided with a white pickup that had swerved to avoid a red pickup that was driving erratically, Fuentes said. The red pickup did not stop and police are seeking the driver, he said.

Corzine made millions at Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs, rising to chief executive before turning to politics.

He won a U.S. Senate seat from New Jersey in 2002 after spending $63.2 million on the election, mostly of his own money. He became New Jersey governor in 2005.

(Additional reporting by Ed Leefeldt in New York)