# Tracy Morgan in critical condition after an accident **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 7, 2014, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272 "2014-06-07T12:28:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/21 "2014-06-08T05:49:11Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Well, it would keep him from driving at 1am and falling asleep, injuring and killing people and causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of property damage again for 20 years. You can get that same result from banning him from driving for the rest of his life. There is a difference between an accident and a crime. Depending on what’s determined to have happened, I hope that is reflected in his Case. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/22 "2014-06-08T06:28:20Z")
An aside: according to CNN, [this](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/140607174545-james-mcnair-story-body.jpg) is the man who was killed in the accident, a colleague of Morgan’s. He was 63. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/23 "2014-06-08T06:31:10Z")
Accidents are usually handled through insurance and civil suits. Unless there is evidence of clear negligence like DUI, speeding, reckless driving etc. The families in this tragedy will get compensated. It’s a horrible accident and they should be compensated for their losses. I imagine most people have been cruising along and suddenly realized freeway traffic up ahead has unexpectedly slowed. It’s happened to me a few times on the freeway and it’s terrifying. Slamming on my brakes just as hard as I can. You don’t expect it on a freeway with off ramps and no traffic lights. Freeway Traffic slow downs do happen and it creates an extremely dangerous situation for everybody on the road. Factor in a 1AM time period and people are all a little tired. I sweat bullets stalled in traffic like that wondering if a truck will top a hill and rear end the whole line of traffic. > **[Georgia man charged in wreck that critically injures actor Tracy Morgan | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2014/06/07/showbiz/tracy-morgan-hospitalized/)** > > A truck driver has been charged in connection with the wreck on the New Jersey Turnpike that left actor Tracy Morgan in critical condition and another man dead. > [@](#): > > Brooke Buchanan, a Walmart spokesperson, said the truck driver is a Walmart employee. > > “This is a tragedy and we are profoundly sorry that one of our trucks was involved,” said Bill Simon, president and CEO of Walmart U.S., in a statement. “The facts are continuing to unfold. If it’s determined that our truck caused the accident, Walmart will take full responsibility.” > > The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate “safety issues related to commercial trucking and limousine safety,” said agency spokesman Keith Holloway. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/24 "2014-06-08T07:50:33Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Way, way over charged. Nothing has been reported that he was driving recklessly,speeding, or under the influence. Driving a giant truck while sleepy sounds pretty reckless to me. They can drop or reduce the charges if need be, but if you hear sleepy person + truck, what do you think is going to happen? > [@](#): > > This could happen to any responsible driver. A responsible driver would have pulled over and taken a nap at a rest stop or found a motel. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/25 "2014-06-08T08:20:26Z")
Every single driver on the road is a little tired and sleepy at 1AM. Most drivers have been up 15 hours or more. Even the lucky ones that slept in till noon had been up 13 hours. I always found road hypnosis the worst late at night. Nothing to look at but pitch black and the occasional headlight. It’s so easy to zone out. I think truck drivers keep a driving logbook? They have to pull over and rest after so many hours driving. He may have been over that limit and that can lead to fines or charges. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/26 "2014-06-08T10:10:29Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Sure. If you don’t read books you are immune to the death of writers too. Agreed. I do not watch TV so this tragedy has zero meaning. Get it? ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/27 "2014-06-08T10:39:32Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Agreed. I do not watch TV so this tragedy has zero meaning. Get it? I know. I often get into funerary homes and tell everybody that since I didn’t knew the guy I’m not sad at all. It’s quite cathartic. ---
**Author:** ![chinchalinchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@chinchalinchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chinchalinchin)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/28 "2014-06-08T11:39:51Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Agreed. I do not watch TV so this tragedy has zero meaning. Get it? I know I’m rising to the bait. I know I’m going to accomplish nothing. Maybe it’s the thirty three sleepless hours I’m currently going on. But seriously dude. Go away. We get it. You’re too cool to care about some people you don’t know getting hurt, possibly fatally. That makes you a prime specimen of humanity. You win. As for Tracy. I hope he gets better. Never watched 30 Rock, but the man was a master standup. He was one of those guys who made it seem like his planned material was totally off the cuff and improvised. Maybe it was. Probably not, but the show of his I saw was funny as all get out. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/29 "2014-06-08T11:55:13Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I think truck drivers keep a driving logbook? They have to pull over and rest after so many hours driving. He may have been over that limit and that can lead to fines or charges. Over in Europe tachographs are mandatory ( although some drivers are rarely permitted log books ). They run under EU Rules, or Domestic regulations, or AETR Rules for that region. As one may see **[here](http://www.traffic-answers.co.uk/tachographs.htm)** basically they insist on a 45 minute break every 4.5 hours and only 9 hours a day — roughly. They are unpopular among _some_ drivers on the ground no nanny state should prevent the god-given right to drive 20 hours non-stop in favour of some nebulous concept of ‘public safety’. Since the penalties are trivial a few cheat the machines. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/30 "2014-06-08T12:27:38Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Sure. If you don’t read books you are immune to the death of writers too. > [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Agreed. I do not watch TV so this tragedy has zero meaning. Get it? > [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > I know. I often get into funerary homes and tell everybody that since I didn’t knew the guy I’m not sad at all. It’s quite cathartic. **Sr Siete** , given the time stamps, it’s possible you didn’t see **Marley** ’s mod note to **Little\_Pig** , but both of you are out of line in continuing with this line of discussion thereafter. Drop it. Now. **twickster** , Cafe Society moderator ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/31 "2014-06-08T14:18:05Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I imagine most people have been cruising along and suddenly realized freeway traffic up ahead has unexpectedly slowed. It’s happened to me a few times on the freeway and it’s terrifying. Slamming on my brakes just as hard as I can. This happens to me practically on a weekly basis. There is a small curve in the highway that, for whatever reason, is always going about 40MPH slower than the rest of the highway, and the first time it came up on me I had to brake pretty hard. Not 2 minutes later did I hear the familiar screech of tires where it caught someone else. I don’t think that any further charges should be made upon the guy unless something can be proven. Get well soon Tracy! You have A Family (not to mention sharks and an octopus!) who need you ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/32 "2014-06-08T14:28:27Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Every single driver on the road is a little tired and sleepy at 1AM. What a ridiculously over-the-top and completely false statement. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/33 "2014-06-08T14:34:31Z")
There shouldn’t be a rush to judgement, of course. Think what you want of WalMart as a concept, it is widely known that their drivers and fleet are among the best in the world, if not THE best. Yes, every one of their trucks is equipped with state of the art equipment for monitoring the habits and performance of the driver. Yes, they have many people whose sole responsibility is to be sure that every driver is properly trained and qualified and, most importantly, that they are safe drivers. Wal Mart is known for discharging drivers who demonstrate any sort of questionable behavior. They drug test, they have ride-alongs with supervisors, etc. etc. their regional fleets typically run millions of miles between any sort of accident. Hours of work is no issue whatsoever at WalMart. Exceed the limits and you are history. Trips are arranged so that productivity is maintained without asking more than normal effort and time from the driver. The NJ Turnpike is one of the worst roads in the US. When I have driven it, tailgating is normal, excessive speed is normal, dangerous lane changes are normal…unexpected slowdowns are not caused, though, on the NJTP by road problems, but by dangerous driving techniques. that said, I have no idea if this driver at this particular time did anything wrong. He might have, but if I had to predict a fleet a driver doing something wrong belonged to, it wouldn’t be WalMart’s. God knows there are plenty of terrible truck drivers and car drivers, more than enough to go around. In future, I suspect that cars and trucks alike will be equipped with radar-like devices that will help prevent rear end collisions, esp. on high speed roads like the NJTP, I80/I94/etc, at the south end of Lake Michigan in Indiana…and many others. No, I never worked for Walmart, but I was in the trucking fleet management business for a big private carrier with an outstanding record, and we envied Walmart. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/34 "2014-06-08T14:35:29Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > What a ridiculously over-the-top and completely false statement. What is ridiculously over the top about saying that drivers are almost certainly ‘a little sleepy?’ at one am? Sounds pretty reasonable, even likely to me. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/35 "2014-06-08T14:37:23Z")
FWIW, I once fell asleep behind the wheel, and caused an accident where no one was seriously hurt, but my car was totaled (I needed a few stitches, and had a badly sprained ankle). I learned my lesson. I do NOT drive tired anymore. When I had a baby, and sometimes my husband was away with his reserve unit, and I would have a 2 hour drive to pick him up at the airport, I would get a babysitter (or have a friend volunteer) so I could take a long nap the day before, in case the baby had me up at night for a while. When I had a lot of driving to do for work, I was really scrupulous about getting in eight hours at night, but occasionally I got tired driving, and I’d pull over some place and nap for ten minutes. I always gave myself a good buffer when I had out of town meetings, so there was usually time for this, and if there wasn’t, I’d call and say I was running late. I also found out that playing music contributes to me feeling sleepy, but audiobooks help keep me awake, so I always get something before long trips: it’s a $30 investment in safety. I did pay a fine for “crossing the line” when I caused the accident, but I didn’t spend any time in jail. I didn’t need any to learn the lesson. “Don’t drive tired” is practically a religion for me. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/36 "2014-06-08T14:46:40Z")
Not every driver is “A little sleepy” at 1am. There are tons of drivers at that time for whom that’s the middle or the beginning of a working day. They are refreshed and ready to go. Most of the time, when I’m out driving at 1am, it’s because I’ve slept in until the afternoon or evening, and 1am is basically my lunch or dinner time, and I’m not the least bit tired, groggy, or inattentive. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/37 "2014-06-08T15:00:49Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > What is ridiculously over the top about saying that drivers are almost certainly ‘a little sleepy?’ at one am? The Quote was: > [@aceplace57](#): > > Every single driver on the road is a little tired and sleepy at 1AM. which is certainly over the top. One might argue that it is not _ridiculously_ over the top, but it most certainly is an over the top statement. Not everyone has the same biological clock, not everyone keeps the same schedules. Many people who know that they will be operating a vehicle at 1:00am will _make a point of not being sleepy_ (yes, when prepared, humans have some manner of control in this arena). A professional driver would be someone who I would expect to be in the “make a point of not being sleepy” camp. I’m not criticizing the driver, I don’t know the details. I’m just chiming in with **Snowboarder Bo** that “Every single driver on the road is a little tired and sleepy at 1:00am” is most definitely an over the top statement. If every single driver were sleepy at 1:00am then every highway would be a bloodbath at 1:00am. The reason any sleepy driver is ever lucky enough to survive a night drive is because of the other drivers who are responsible enough to _not_ be sleepy. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/38 "2014-06-08T15:38:27Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > **Sr Siete** , given the time stamps, it’s possible you didn’t see **Marley** ’s mod note to **Little\_Pig** , but both of you are out of line in continuing with this line of discussion thereafter. > > Drop it. Now. You’re not seriously threatening **Sr Siete** for asking someone to stop threadshitting, are you? ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/39 "2014-06-08T16:23:23Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > You’re not seriously threatening **Sr Siete** for asking someone to stop threadshitting, are you? No, no, he’s right. When Little Pig got the warning the right thing was dropping it and not replying his post. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/40 "2014-06-08T16:55:53Z")
[The driver has made bail.](http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/08/showbiz/tracy-morgan-crash/)I wonder if Walmart will arrange his legal defense? They’ve acknowledged he is an employee and not a contract driver. They’ll probably give an update on Tracy’s condition later today or in the morning. He’s lucky to be alive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272.md?page=3)