Schwarzenegger recovering after skiing accident

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had successful surgery Tuesday to repair a broken leg from a holiday skiing accident. But he could be on crutches for his second inauguration next month, officials said.

SANTA MONICA, California — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had successful surgery Tuesday to repair a broken leg from a holiday skiing accident. But he could be on crutches for his second inauguration next month, officials said.
    Schwarzenegger, 59, underwent a 90-minute operation in which screws and cables were used to link two broken fragments of his right upper thigh bone.
    “Following the surgery, the governor was awake, alert and talking in the recovery room,” said Dr. Kevin Ehrhart, the orthopedic surgeon who performed the non-emergency procedure at St. John’s Health Center.
    “He is now fully coherent, and I have cleared him to resume his duties as governor,” Ehrhart said in a statement issued by the governor’s office.
    Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante took over as acting governor while Schwarzenegger was under general anesthesia.
    The star of the Terminator movies will be hospitalized for three days — a standard stay for that type of operation, Ehrhart said.
    “Recovery will take approximately eight weeks, and I expect the governor to fully recover,” he said. “The governor is not in a cast and will use crutches to walk while his leg heals.”
    Schwarzenegger’s office already had said he would not delay his Jan. 5 inauguration.
    Ehrhart also performed shoulder surgery on Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 2004 and repaired former President Reagan’s broken hip in 2001.
    Schwarzenegger was skiing with his family in Sun Valley, Idaho, on Dec. 23 when he broke his leg. His office has not released details of the accident.
    The Sun Valley Resort has a ski trail named after the governor, known as “Arnold’s Run,” that is categorized as a black diamond, or most difficult, for its challenging terrain.
    Schwarzenegger remained at the family’s Sun Valley home until returning to California on Monday.
    “When we checked Arnold into the hospital on Christmas night, he was looking forward to his surgery,” Schwarzenegger’s wife, Maria Shriver, said in a statement. “He has been in good spirits. He asked when he could get back to work, and he’s looking forward to his inauguration next week.”
    It is the governor’s third medical problem in less than a year.
    He spent several hours at a University of California, Davis, hospital last December with a rapid heartbeat after coming down with stomach flu.
    In January, Schwarzenegger needed 15 stitches to repair a cut lip after colliding with a car while riding his motorcycle.

— The Associated Press