Adding to Chris Christie's campaign trail headaches over his driving record, officials in Elizabeth confirmed tonight the Republican gubernatorial candidate was in a traffic accident that injured a motorcyclist in the city in 2002.

Christie, then the U.S. attorney, was on his way to the swearing-in of the Union County prosecutor and was not issued a ticket for the July 26, 2002 incident, Police Director James Cosgrove said.

Details about the accident came to light today as Democrats continue to hammer Christie over his driving record and accuse him of misusing his office as a federal prosecutor.

"This was an unfortunate accident and just like a lot of us, Chris knows he can always be a better driver," said Maria Comella, a campaign spokeswoman.

Christie was driving a rented BMW sedan and apparently had lost his way when he attempted to turn right onto a street that was one-way in the other direction, according to the police report. A motorcyclist, Andre Mendonca of Elizabeth, was riding towards Christie, and both men saw one another and put on the brakes, police said. Christie's vehicle came to a stop, and the motorcycle then "fell on its side and slid into his vehicle," according to the police report.

Mendonca was taken by ambulance to University Hospital in Newark, Cosgrove said. He said he did not know the extent of Mendonca's injuries or "the seriousness of the condition." Mendonca could not be reached for comment tonight.

When an officer arrived at the scene, Christie explained what happened and said he was on his way to the swearing-in ceremony of Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow, Cosgrove said.

"He did identify himself as U.S. attorney," Cosgrove said.

Christie's car was towed from the scene, and Christie was allowed to continue on to the swearing-in event, which was about eight or 10 blocks from the scene of the accident, Cosgrove said.

Cosgrove said it was up to the investigating officer to decide whether to ticket Christie. The officer, who did not witness the accident, opted not to issue a ticket, Cosgrove said.

"The officer has a lot of discretion at that point," Cosgrove said. "He could've issued a summons in that case, but he did not."

Asked whether Christie's job title factored into the officer's decision, Cosgove said, "I don't think I want to make that kind of deduction, but I think the facts speak for themselves."

Christie's driving record came under scrutiny last week after it was reported that he was issued three tickets for a stop in Lambertville in 2005. Police said Christie identified himself as U.S. attorney during that incident.

State motor vehicle documents show that since 1985, Christie, 46, has racked up 25 violation points (not all at one time), has been in six accidents and was cited 13 times for moving violations, including five without points. Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, meanwhile, starred in 2007 public service announcements showing the consequences of refusing to buckle up after being cited for not wearing a seat belt in his near-fatal car wreck in a trooper-driven SUV. Corzine was ticketed for speeding in 1998 and 2000, yielding a total of six points, but he's had a driver for most of this decade.