NTSB Blames Driver Fatigue for Tracy Morgan Crash

Chicago, IL (Law Firm Newswire) December 1, 2015 – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that driver fatigue was the cause of an accident last year involving a Wal-Mart semitrailer, which caused serious injuries to actor and comedian Tracy Morgan and resulted in the death of another comedian.

“When truck drivers violate hours-of-service regulations or get behind the wheel with too little sleep, they can cause deadly accidents,” said Robert Briskman, a Chicago truck accident attorney with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. “Truck safety is doubly important, because truck accidents are so much more likely to result in fatalities.”

The collision occurred on the New Jersey Turnpike June 7, 2014, when a Wal-Mart semitrailer crashed into a limo bus transporting Morgan and others. Comedian James McNair died in the accident. Morgan suffered a broken nose, ribs and leg, and was in a coma for two weeks. Morgan’s attorney stated previously that Morgan suffered a traumatic brain injury and was close to death. As recently as a few months ago, Morgan was reported to still be suffering from nosebleeds and headaches as a result of the accident.

The NTSB now says that the truck driver is primarily to blame for the collision. The NTSB said that the driver had traveled 800 miles to his workplace in Delaware from his home in Georgia, and then attempted to drive on with no sleep. Six vehicles and 21 people were involved in the resulting crash. Christopher A. Hart, the Chairman of the NTSB, said that hours-of-service requirements could only address what drivers do during their work shifts. Hart said the driver involved in the crash had worked 13 ½ hours of a 14-hour workday, but had gone 28 hours without sleep.