Charged Wal-Mart trucker to appear in court Wednesday
By Charles W. Kim, Packet Media Group
NEW BRUNSWICK — Former Saturday Night Live star and comedian Tracy Morgan remained in critical condition Monday while the truck driver charged with causing Saturday’s deadly New Jersey Turnpike crash prepares to appear in court on Wednesday.
In a statement issued Sunday by Mr. Morgan’s publicist, Lewis Kay of New York City’s PMK*BNC agency, the 45-year-old comic and television star remains in critical condition at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and will likely be there for several more weeks.
"While Tracy remains in critical condition, he has been more responsive today, which is an incredibly encouraging sign," he said in the statement. "He sustained a number of injuries including a broken leg, a broken femur, a broken nose and several broken ribs. He had surgery earlier today on his leg. We expect him to remain in the hospital for several weeks. His family is tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans."
While Mr. Morgan continued his stay in the intensive care unit for a second day, the Georgia truck driver accused of causing the accident turned himself in to law enforcement Saturday night and is preparing for his first scheduled court appearance on Wednesday, according to officials.
Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Spokesman Jim O’Neill said that truck driver Kevin Roper, 35, of Jonesboro, Georgia is being charged with one second-degree count of death by auto and four fourth-degree counts of assault by auto after his tractor trailer allegedly slammed into the back of the 2012 Mercedes Sprinter limousine bus, causing the six-vehicle collision that left one man dead.
New Jersey State Police Sgt. First Class Gregory Williams said Saturday that the six-vehicle accident took place around 1 a.m. at milepost 71.5 in the northbound lanes of the Turnpike in Cranbury Township, Middlesex County.
Mr. Morgan was one of seven people in the limo-bus-traveling north at the time of the accident.
According to the criminal complaint filed with the Cranbury Township Municipal Court, Mr. Roper operated his vehicle "recklessly" and "without having slept for a period in excess of 24 hours," caused the crash.
Sgt. Williams said that Mr. Roper told officers at the scene that he "was not aware of the traffic slowing in front of him," and when he did see the limousine, he swerved left to try and avoid the collision, striking the rear of the vehicle.
The impact sent the limo spinning clockwise and then flipping over, trapping several of its occupants inside the wreckage.
The chain reaction crash included two tractor-trailers, the limo-bus, an SUV and two passenger cars.
One of the passengers in the limo-bus, identified as James McNair, 63, of Peekskill, New York was pronounced dead at the scene, Sgt. Williams said.
Mr. Morgan and another passenger, identified as a 36-year-old man from Shelton, Connecticut were airlifted to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick in critical condition, Sgt. Williams said.
Another passenger, identified as a 43-year-old Jersey City man, was also transported to the hospital and remains in critical condition.
According to police, the remaining limousine bus passengers were taken to the hospital, treated and released.
None of the other drivers or passengers were injured, according to police.
The accident closed the northbound lanes until 6:23 a.m., he said.
Mr. O’Neill said that Mr. Roper, a truck driver for the Wal-Mart Corporation, surrendered to officers at the State Police Cranbury Station at 7 p.m. Saturday night.
After being processed, he was taken to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick where he posted $50,000 bail and was released pending his first court appearance scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, according to Mr. O’Neill.
Wal-Mart Spokesman Brooke Buchanan confirmed Sunday that Mr. Roper was an employee of the corporation based in Bentonville, Arkansas, but would not provide any other information about his employment or the origin or destination of his trip Saturday morning.
We can’t provide those details," she said. "We are cooperating with law enforcement and its investigation."
She did say that the company has "strict" requirements for all of its drivers.
According to the company’s website, the retailer employs 7,400 drivers that logged more than 700 million miles in 2010, bringing goods from 124 distribution centers to some 4,000 stores, totaling more than 4 million store deliveries a year.
The private fleet, one of the largest delivery fleets in the world, reports traveling 1.6 million miles per each "preventable" accident, according to the company.
Wal-Mart President and CEO Bill Simon issued the following statement on Saturday afternoon regarding the crash.
"We’re praying for the family and friends of the passenger who lost his life in the terrible accident in New Jersey. Our hearts go out to everyone involved and we hope those who were injured get the care that they need and make a full recovery," he said in the statement. "This is a tragedy and we are profoundly sorry that one of our trucks was involved. We are working quickly to understand what happened and are cooperating fully with law enforcement to aid their investigation."
He also promised to take "full responsibility" for that company’s role in the accident.
"Safety is our absolute highest priority, but that is no comfort whatsoever to the families and friends who are suffering today," he said in the statement. "We offer them our deepest condolences. We can’t change what happened, but we will do what’s right for the family of the victim and the survivors in the days and weeks ahead."
The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the accident in an effort to see if it can make commercial traffic safer, Spokesman Kevin Holloway said on Monday.
"We are looking at the broader issues regarding commercial traffic safety," he said.
The agency’s probe would not coincide with the criminal investigation, he said, but would concentrate on issues like vehicle maintenance, driver fatigue, health qualifications for drivers and technology used by the commercial vehicles involved in the crash.
Mr. Morgan was returning from a performance at the Dover Downs Hotel and Casino in Delaware, according to a press release from the hotel previewing the event.
A Saturday Night Live alumnus, Mr. Morgan is also known for several film roles and starred with Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.