New Jersey Grand Jury Indicts Trucker in Tracy Morgan Crash
(Reuters) - A New Jersey grand jury indicted the driver of a Wal-Mart truck on Wednesday in the 2014 crash that left “30 Rock” star Tracy Morgan with brain injuries and killed a fellow comedian.
The 10-count indictment by the Middlesex County grand jury charged Kevin Roper with aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide and eight counts of aggravated assault.
Roper had been awake for 28 hours and was driving 20 miles (32 km) over the speed limit when his truck hit Morgan’s limousine on the New Jersey Turnpike on June 7, 2014, a federal investigation concluded in August.
Morgan, 47, suffered a serious brain injury and broken bones. The “Saturday Night Live” star has not performed since the accident.
Comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair was killed and nine other people were injured in the chain reaction collision that involved 21 people in six vehicles.
Federal investigators found that the injuries to Morgan and other passengers were exacerbated by their failure to wear seat belts.
Morgan and some of the others who were injured reached a settlement with Wal-Mart in May, although terms have not been made public.
Roper’s attorney, David Jay Glassman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
