Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was in a highly publicized car accident earlier this summer on the New Jersey turnpike that left him in critical condition and a friend and fellow comedian, James McNair, dead. Now he has filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart, alleging negligence on the part of the company after one of its trucks rear-ended the limousine he was riding in.
A preliminary report filed by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates that the Wal-Mart truck involved in the accident was traveling 20 miles per hour over the speed limit at the time of the accident, with the driver nearing his drive time limit for the day. All truck drivers have certain limits to the amount of time they can drive within a given 24 hour period to prevent them from driving in a state of over-tiredness. The truck collided with the rear end of Morgan’s limousine, which caused the limousine driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash.
The complaint filed by Morgan’s legal team states that the negligence of the defendants was a major factor in causing injury to Morgan and the other passengers, as well as the death of McNair.
The main issues at stake in this case will be the reckless driving on the part of the truck driver, as well as an investigation into the drive time limits imposed by Wal-Mart and how strictly they enforce those limits. Mr. Morgan’s legal team could make a case that the driver was speeding to make sure he completed his job before he met his time limit for the day, or that the driver was already seeing ill effects of being on the road for too long.
Accidents involving semi trucks can be extremely serious. If you’ve suffered injuries after an accident with a large truck, contact the trusted accident lawyers at Barasch McGarry Salzman & Penson in New York.
