The truck driver that caused the crash which seriously injured Tracy Morgan and killed another comic and left three others injured has been charged with one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto. The driver apparently was dozing and didn't see that traffic had slowed until it was too late. Tracy Morgan is said to be much more responsive but will be hospitalized for several weeks while he recovers from multiple broken bones. James McNair is the name of the comedian who was killed and was traveling in the limo bus with Morgan that was rolled by the truck. The driver posted bond and is free, but Wal-Mart has suspended him until the case is resolved.
Tracy has a long road ahead of recuperting. I thought I saw something about possible amputation.Anyway good luck!
ReplyDeleteSo glad he's recovering, but sad someone died. Those trucks scare me.
ReplyDeleteThe way Walmart works people, not surprised he was tired.
ReplyDeleteThat said, SETTLEMENT!!!!
Get that banana...(minion sympathies to all involved...)
Agreed Steamie. Walmart is the worst for how they treat their employees. Not surprised he was exhausted. Guess they'll check his logs and see.
DeleteSherry and steam- thats why i refuse to shop there and havent for 15 years.
DeleteAgree. Loathe that sweatshop and their hypocrisy.
DeleteI do not go to "the great satan," either. I don't even look at the ads..
DeleteTown killers!
Sad story all around. Prayers for Tracy. Long time lurker, first time poster. Hi guys!!
ReplyDeletehi woodsy!
ReplyDeleteThe local news here was saying that the drivers twitter account had a few rants about getting out of the way or they'll get hit. They did however say that they couldn't confirm it was his actual account though.
ReplyDeleteThat must have been so scary. He's got a hard time ahead of him. Good luck to him.
ReplyDeleteHey Woodsygal. Good to hear from ya.
ReplyDeleteHowdy Woodsy Gal. Morning IJU, Sandyboo, Reno, AJ and anyone who posted in the time I started this.
ReplyDeleteMorning Sherry !!!
DeleteThe issue, as Steam stated, is that drivers have deadlines and lose out on pay and future jobs if they are not net. The bigger companies are working their employees to the bone: more work spread among fewer workers. Should the driver've stopped because he was drowsy, yes. He prob figured he'd chance it in order to save his job. We've all made the same decision in some capacity in our own lives, we were just lucky enough that noone died as a result. I agree, this is the fault of Walmart.
ReplyDeletemorning Sherry. It's not just WalMart its all trucking companies. They all have tight scheduling and long hauls.
ReplyDeleteDriver may be at fault, but isnt he just a working schmoo ? Isnt accident something in which no one is to blame? What good will it do to lock up a working person and bankrupt him? Prediction: Tracey recovers to a point where he pays thus guys court fees.
ReplyDeleteIf the accident happen while he was on official business, the company is liable. I remember that from my Business Law class.
DeleteI'm hoping everyone who was injured makes a speedy recovery. The local news said Tracey had a broken leg, femur, several broken ribs and a broken nose. He had to have surgury for his leg as well.
ReplyDeleteThey said there was a very real possibility that he'd have to have his leg amputated.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Woodsygal, I'm saying a prayer for all involved.
ReplyDeleteFor all bitching about Walmart, more than likely he was working for a contractor and not Walmart itself. New federal regulations came into effect in 2011 allowing up to 14 hrs of driving time followed by 8-10 hrs of rest, it's up to the driver to self-police themselves when it comes to rest.
ReplyDeleteWalmart did say they would take full responsibility if it was the driver's fault.
DeleteHi Woodsy, welcome to CrazyLand! ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is an all around tragedy. If he is a contractor it's even more sad. I'm ready to go France and make brokering anyone's labor illegal. Make $25 and bill out for $200 sounds like slavery to me.
ReplyDeleteI have to tell you...falling asleep at the wheel is the worst thing. You can't control it. It just takes over and happens without even realizing it. The only thing you can do is prevent it. If you start to feel sleepy, you need to be smart by pulling over and taking a cat nap. This truck driver was probably on a schedule and saw the signs, but ignored it. He fell asleep...and look what happened.
ReplyDelete@Auntliddy, unfortunately, an accident is something that is done unintentionally, but does not mean no one is to blame. If the driver really did doze off while driving, then he is at fault, working man or not.
ReplyDeleteMorning all. I know someone who knows the ins and outs of the trucking industry. Sadly, this is commonplace. Wishing Tracy a full recovery.
ReplyDeleteHi, Woodsygal!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, one of my best friends' dad was a truck driver (his brother was, too). That was when they started cracking down on fake log books (truck drivers are required to keep a log book of their driving and rest times - many of them kept a real log book for themselves, and a fake log book for inspection). My friend's dad died when the person he was driving with (they sometimes drive in teams if it's a long haul cross-country run) fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into the side of a hill in Wyoming. He was burned so badly they couldn't have a viewing at his funeral.
FWIW, WalMart partially outsources its trucks. This man could very well have been working for WalMart directly.
Thanks for the warm welcome guys!
ReplyDeleteAll of the construction on the NJ Turnpike, and the ancillary roads getting new overpasses to accommodate Turnpike expansion, is dangerous w/ the lane closures and shifts. This aint the first accident there, and won't be the last.
ReplyDeleteWhile this was clearly the driver's fault, it was brought up elsewhere that limos don't seem to have seat belts or in the few cases where they may be sufficient seat belts for everyone, and I have no idea what the air bag situation would be, but many people in the limos don't use seat belts so arguably the injuries sustained may have been worse than if this had been a regular vehicle where people were hopefully buckled up with deployable air bags. Though sometimes air bags do as much if not more damage.
ReplyDeleteThey are working on new technology where the vehicle in essence drives itself and would be able to sense the distance to the vehicles in front of it. Maybe they need a sensor in the meantime to warn drivers they are too close and at least this guy might have had time to wake up and stop.
I wish I had a car with the reverse beep, or the rear cam and the blind spot sensors.
We don't know if the guy was overworked or just partied too much the night before.
ReplyDeleteCorrect @Angela. And @Steam brings up a very good point.
ReplyDeleteFor every good truck driver that follows the rules, there are many that do not.
Safety regulations are helping. Many truck companies have a satellite system in the trucks, that show where they are, what they are doing, and they track hours. Go over the legal limit, everybody knows. They have to shut it down, stay there, or have dispatch come get you (if you drive local, park it if you are long haul)
Godspeed to all involved. Such a sad accident.
I read somewhere that Walmart keeps electronic logs on their drivers, so there is no running 2 log books and bullshitting the system.
ReplyDeleteOver here truck drivers have electronic logs called tachographs. They are very hard to fake.
ReplyDeleteIt's true about the two logbooks, it used to be 10 hours of driving a day now it's 14??? Wow, that I did not know and when did that happen?
ReplyDeleteSpeed recovery to those injured!