Nj grand jury issues criminal indictment in tracy morgan truck accident case

The truck driver who allegedly caused the accident that killed one person and seriously injured famed comedian Tracy Morgan in 2014 has been indicted by a New Jersey grand jury.

On June 7, 2014, Kevin Roper was reportedly exhausted while driving a Wal-Mart truck on the New Jersey Turnpike. According to authorities, Roper had been awake for 28 hours, a violation of federal laws and safety regulations, when he crashed into a limousine carrying Morgan and others.

As a result of the truck accident, the 47-year-old Morgan suffered life-threatening injuries, including a traumatic brain injury and multiple broken bones. Additionally, James “Jimmy Mack McNair, a fellow comedian and friend of Morgan who was also traveling in the limo, died in the crash. The accident also caused a chain reaction that affected four other motor vehicles and injured a total of nine people.

Morgan, perhaps most famous for starring on TV shows “Saturday Night Live and “30 Rock, sustained significant injuries that took him out of commission for an extended period of time. Only recently, after many months of treatment and rehabilitation, did Morgan finally make his return to the entertainment industry with an appearance at the Emmy Awards and a hosting gig on SNL. However, Morgan has yet to return to performing stand-up comedy.

After the June 2014 truck collision, law enforcement conducted an in-depth investigation into the NJ highway accident. The investigation took several months and eventually concluded in August 2014, with officials determining that Roper, the driver of the Wal-Mart truck, was traveling roughly 20 miles over the speed limit when he slammed into the limo.

Roper, who had already been cited for various traffic violations, was subsequently charged with a number of criminal offenses, including aggravated manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, and aggravated assault.

Now Roper is set to stand trial on the charges after being indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury. The NJ grand jury handed down the indictments on a total of 10 criminal charges.

While the criminal charges against Roper are pending, Wal-Mart has seemingly avoided a civil suit by reaching personal injury settlements with Morgan and others who were injured in the truck accident. The exact terms of the settlements were not disclosed to the public.

For more information about the grand jury indictment in the Tracy Morgan truck accident case, read the Yahoo.com article entitled, “New Jersey Grand Jury Indicts Trucker in Tracy Morgan Crash.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, you need an experienced commercial truck accident lawyer on your side. The knowledgeable personal injury lawyers at Team Law have more than 60 years of combined experience helping truck accident victims get compensation for their injuries. Contact us today for a free consultation about your case.