Investigators say the truck driver who plowed into a van carrying several comedians on a New Jersey highway, including Tracy Morgan, “had been awake more than 28 hours when his truck struck the limo van” and failed to slow down due to fatigue.
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“This driver abdicated each of those responsibilities”.
None of the passengers in the back of the 10-seat limo or the driver was wearing a seat belt.
He made deliveries and pickups throughout the day and was making his final delivery for his shift when the wreck happened about 12:54 a.m. June 7, about a half-hour short of his 14-hour duty limit, the NTSB said. He had been awake in excess of 28 hours during that 33-hour period, the NTSB said.
That underscores the need for companies, drivers and their families to understand the factors that go into fatigue to ensure truckers are rested as they begin their shifts, Hart said.
Wal-Mart Stores has already settled with Morgan and McNair and has put Roper on administrative leave since the accident pending the outcome of the investigation.
An accident description is displayed on a large screen as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) meets at their headquarters in Washington, Tuesday, August 11, 2015, to determine the cause of an accident last year that severely injured comedian Tracy Morgan and killed another comedian after a truck smashed into their limousine during a traffic backup on the New Jersey Turnpike. Investigators have said the truck was traveling at 65 miles per hour and that it was slow to react to a sign lowering the speed limit to 45 miles per hour in a construction zone.
He said: “Not only are we disputing it, it is factually wrong”.
Roper had driven over 800 miles from Georgia to a Wal-Mart distribution center in Delaware to pick up a load before starting the trip. It is also in the process of implementing a comprehensive fatigue management plan that takes into account drivers’ commutes. One victim who should have been immobilzed was moved without being secured to a backboard.
Investigators also said the limousine-van had been customized, and that a sheet of plywood that had been installed to separate the cab from passengers blocked occupants from escaping the vehicle after the crash.
Kevin Roper has been charged with vehicular homicide and assault by auto and is awaiting trial in New Jersey. He has pleaded not guilty.
Calls to Morgan’s Los Angeles-based representatives weren’t instantly returned on Tuesday, however in a with Matt Lauer on “At the moment”, the comic vowed to return to work once more in the future.
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Morgan was in a coma following the accident, and suffered multiple broken bones and brain trauma.
