By now, most of our readers in Tennessee have heard about the crash along the east coast that injured comedian Tracy Morgan and killed another comedian. There is a new development in that story. Tracy Morgan has opted to file a lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores in connection with the accident that left him critically injured.
Morgan suffered from injures that sent him into intensive care and required him to go to a rehabilitation facility when he was released from the hospital. He has since been released from that facility.
According to the complaint that Morgan filed, he needs physical therapy as part of his recovery. It also says he is unable to work.
Also included in the complaint are accusations that Wal-Mart should have known that the driver of the semi-truck lived more than 700 miles from the distribution center where he was based. It says that the corporation should have realized that was unreasonable.
It has been noted that the man hadn’t slept for 24 hours prior to the accident and was driving while fatigued. The lawsuit also notes that the automatic braking system on the 2011 Peterbilt truck was compromised at the time of the accident. That should have slowed or stopped the truck prior to the accident.
The driver who caused the accident has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the accident. He was charged with reckless driving, assault and vehicular homicide. Interestingly, he isn’t named as a defendant in the complaint filed by Morgan.
This case shows how complex personal injury cases can be, especially when those cases deal with semi-trucks and commercial vehicles. Anyone who has been injured in an accident involving a commercial vehicle has the right to do as Morgan did and seek compensation for injuries and other damages.
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek, “Tracy Morgan Sues Wal-Mart Over I-95 Crash” Justin Bachman, Jul. 14, 2014
