What Happened in the Tracy Morgan Truck Accident Case?
On June 7, 2014, comedian, Tracy Morgan was traveling in a limousine van on the New Jersey Turnpike with his friends, James McNair, Ardley Fuqua, and Jeffrey Millea. As the limo van approached construction, it slowed down. However, a Walmart truck failed to slow down, and hit the back of the limo van at 65 miles per hour. The semi-truck collided with the comedians’ limo, which collided with vehicles in front of it.
Modifications had been made to customize the limo-van, and this led to some passengers being trapped inside until rescue crews could extract them. Reports state that it took around 40 minutes to get some of the occupants out.
Comedian James McNair died as a result of the crash.
Actor Tracy Morgan suffered several broken bones, including several ribs, and a severe traumatic brain injury. In order to recover physically, Morgan required several surgeries and long-term rehabilitation.
Tracy Morgan, Ardley Fuqua, Jr, Jeffrey Millea, and Krista Millea filed a claim against Walmart in New Jersey. In a separate claim, Jamel and Denita McNair received $10 million from Walmart for the wrongful death of their father, James McNair.
In an out-of-court settlement, it is estimated that the plaintiffs received around $90 million for damages. However, this is only an estimate, and Tracy Morgan is noted as saying, “Wal-Mart did right by me and my family, and for my associates and their families.”
Did Tracy Morgan V. Walmart Change Anything?
Unfortunately, Tracy Morgan’s Wal-Mart truck accident that led to multiple injuries and the death of his friend did not lead to any public policy change or internal change for the Wal-Mart corporation.
What Made the Tracy Morgan Accident Case Unique?
Accidents with Wal-Mart trucks, at the time of the Tracy Morgan truck accident weren’t all that unique. As a matter of fact, according to ABC New York, “Wal-Mart trucks have been involved in 380 crashes in the past two years” (speaking of the years 2012-2014), which resulted in “nine deaths and 129 injuries.”