Wal-Mart Reaches Civil Settlements in Tracy Morgan Truck Accident Case, but Truck Driver Indicted for Allegedly Causing Crash
A grand jury recently handed down an indictment to Kevin Roper, the driver of a Wal-Mart truck that crashed into Tracy Morgan’s limousine, killing one person and seriously injuring several others. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart has seemingly minimized its own possible civil liability for the truck accident by reaching personal injury settlements with several of the accident victims.
Roper potentially remains on the hook for civil damages, as well as criminal charges, because he was reportedly extremely fatigued while driving the Wal-Mart truck that slammed into Morgan’s limo on the New Jersey Turnpike on June 7, 2014. According to NJ and federal authorities, Roper was traveling at 65 miles per hour, exceeding the speed limit by 20 mph. Moreover, Roper was allegedly struggling to keep his eyes open at the time of the accident because he had been awake for more than 28 hours, a violation of federal commercial truck safety regulations.
The truck accident received a great deal of media coverage because popular comedian and TV star Tracy Morgan sustained serious personal injuries as a result of the crash. Morgan suffered multiple broken bones, including a broken leg, a broken nose, and broken ribs. The worst injury Morgan suffered in the truck crash was a traumatic brain injury.
In the days, weeks and months following the auto accident, many people close to Morgan worried that he might never fully recover from his head injuries. A serious brain injury can cause long-term cognitive impairment and memory loss, as well as affecting the victim’s coordination, hearing and eyesight.
The good news for Morgan is that he seems to be well on the road to recovery. Nearly two years after the truck accident, he has made great strides through a difficult rehabilitation process. In October 2015, Morgan was able to host the sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live.”
To learn more about recent developments in the Tracy Morgan truck accident case, read the Yahoo.com article, “New Jersey Grand Jury Indicts Trucker in Tracy Morgan Crash.”
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, car crash, motorcycle collision or any other type of auto accident, you should speak to a skilled personal injury attorney immediately. The NJ personal injury lawyers at Drazin and Warshaw, P.C. have more than 70 years of combined experience with these types of cases and will fight to get you full and fair compensation for your accident-related injuries. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation about your case.
