Imagine renting a limousine to treat your closest friends. You’re laughing, kicking back, and heading home from New York City. Then—WHAM—a semi truck slams into your van. The next thing you know, you wake up in a hospital bed, hearing one of your dearest friends is gone.
This isn’t a nightmare you can just wake up from. This is the real-life horror comedian Tracy Morgan lived through on June 7, 2014.
A deadly crash on the Jersey Turnpike
Morgan and his friends were heading home from a comedy show when a Walmart truck plowed into their limousine on the New Jersey Turnpike. The impact killed fellow comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair and left Morgan in critical condition.
Investigators later revealed shocking details about the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that the truck driver, Kevin Roper, had been awake for more than 28 hours and was speeding 20 mph over the limit. “Had the truck driver been traveling at the posted work zone speed limit of 45 mph, it could have been stopped before impact,” NTSB investigator David Rayburn said during their review.
Morgan was airlifted to the hospital with broken ribs, a shattered leg, and a traumatic brain injury. He spent two weeks in a coma and months in rehab relearning how to walk and talk.
A long recovery and a fight for justice
Morgan later sued Walmart, accusing the company of negligence for pushing drivers to work dangerously long hours. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount, but Morgan told Yahoo, “Walmart did right by me and my family.”
Meanwhile, Roper faced criminal charges, including vehicular homicide and aggravated assault. He pleaded guilty in 2016 and entered a pre-trial intervention program, allowing him to avoid jail time if he completed 300 hours of community service.
His attorney, David Glassman, defended Roper’s character, telling Rolling Stone, “He’s led an exemplary life up until that one mistake.” But for Morgan, the road to recovery was far from over.
Finding humor—and forgiveness
Morgan eventually returned to the spotlight, even using comedy to process the trauma. In his 2017 Netflix special Staying Alive, he joked, “I broke every bone in my face, my ribs. I pulverized my femur. I was blind for a week. And where I come from, you don’t want to be blind for a second!”
But as the 10-year anniversary of the crash approached, Morgan’s tone shifted. Speaking to People earlier this year, he reflected on the tragedy and loss. “I want to say to everyone who was in the van with me that night, I love you,” he said. And to the driver who caused the crash? “Me and my comrades forgive you.”
Morgan’s survival was nothing short of miraculous. But even with millions in settlements and a triumphant return to the spotlight, the scars—both physical and emotional—remain. Morgan summed it up: “I am happy to be alive.”
