In June of 2014, actor and comedian Tracy Morgan, along with a number of his associates and friends, was critically injured in a collision on the New Jersey Turnpike between the limousine bus in which Morgan was riding and a Wal-Mart tractor trailer. Morgan, comedian Ardie Fuqua, and Morgan’s assistant Jeffrey Millea, were all hospitalized with critical injuries. Morgan’s friend and mentor, comedian Jimmy McNair, was tragically killed in the crash. The civil lawsuits filed by the three surviving critically-injured passengers and the family of McNair were recently settled, but Morgan reports that he is still recovering from his injuries, which included serious head trauma. The driver of the tractor trailer truck, Kevin Roper, was released on $50,000 bail after the crash. Authorities reported that Roper had been working over 13 hours at the time of the crash, and had not slept for over 24 hours at the time of the accident. 

Despite this tragic event, the federal regulations designed by Congress were recently changed to alter the amount of rest that professional truck drivers are required to take in between work weeks. Previously, truckers were required to take two nights of rest between work weeks, which can be up to 70 hours long for truck drivers. That regulation has been suspended entirely. New Jersey U.S. Senator Robert Menendez ardently opposed the change in the regulation, pointing out that regulations on food safety wouldn’t be eased in the midst of an E. coli outbreak, nor would EPA regulations change in the midst of a contaminated water scare, and so changing regulations regarding rest for truckers should not occur in the wake of a fatal accident caused by trucker exhaustion.

Federal regulations aside, tractor trailer and semi trucking companies still have a duty to ensure that their drivers are able to safely conduct themselves on the road. If you have been injured in an accident with a big rig or other large truck, seek out legal representation that will make sure you’re fully compensated for your injuries. Consult the experienced New Jersey truck accident attorneys at Smith & Doran for a free consultation on your claims, at 973-292-0016.