Breaking: American Driver Doesn’t Wear Seatbelt

In case you haven’t heard, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine would have been in better condition today but he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. (New Jersey has already rolled out a new ad campaign, at right.) The guv is expected to be okay, though he’s going to be in a wheelchair for about six months. Corzine is having two more surgeries, but he should be able to walk normally in several months.

But maybe this isn’t some sort of seatbelt-related mishap. As CBS 3 reported earlier today, the previous two elected governors, Christine Whitman and Jim McGreevey, also broke their leg while in office:

The injury to Corzine’s left leg means that the last three people elected to serve as New Jersey governor have all broken a leg while in office. Fellow Democrat James E. McGreevey broke his left leg during a nighttime beach walk, while Republican Christie Whitman broke her right leg while skiing in the Swiss Alps.

Only Richard Codey, again the acting governor, was spared the fate due to assuming the position, not campaigning for it. He better just continue as Senate president, only filling in as governor due to mishaps.

Update: Bruce Gordon, on the Fox 5 O’Clock News — with KLH, natch — just said: “In the short term, Codey must deal with a major storm, a nor’easter, bearing down on the Garden State this weekend.”

Report: Gov. Corzine Was Not Wearing Seatbeat [CBS 3]