14 DAY TRIAL // Comedian Tracy Morgan and two other men were critically injured in a serious car crash that took place in New Jersey in the early hours of Saturday. Another man, comedian Jack McNair, who had been traveling with Morgan, was killed.
At the time word of the accident got out, police sources said that Morgan and the other two were taken to the hospital by helicopter and, because of the severity of their injuries, they were believed to be fighting for their life.
A publicist for the star has issued a statement to Us Weekly to clarify that: he has been badly injured and he is expected to spend at least a few weeks in hospital, but his condition is already improving.
“While Tracy remains in critical condition, he has been more responsive today, which is an incredibly encouraging sign,” the publicist says.
“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,” adds the representative.
The accident involved two tractor trailers, two cars and one SUV, and seems to have been caused by the driver of one of the trucks, which rear-ended the limo bus in which Morgan and his opening acts were traveling. They had just performed at a casino in Delaware and were returning home when they were hit, with the force of the impact being so great the bus was overturned.
The driver believed to be responsible for the crash, Kevin Roper, 35, of Jonesboro, Ga., has turned himself in. He’s been charged with one count of death by auto and 4 counts of assault by auto, because, besides the three men injured and now in critical condition, there was another man who required a brief hospitalization for his injuries.
Roper’s bail was set at $50,000 (€36,648), with TMZ reporting that he posted it hours after he turned himself in. He was driving a Walmart truck at the time of the crash and he’s been suspended from his job during the investigation.
Police believe alcohol or drugs were not involved in the crash, so the most likely theory right now is that he fell asleep at the wheel.
After confirmation came that one of their trucks had caused such a tragedy, the CEO of Walmart issued a statement to say that they would be covering all the medical expenses of the victims if the investigation determined that Roper was at fault.