# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/41 "2014-06-08T18:47:33Z")
I was assigned as a contract driver to Walmart twice. Basically, my company rented me out to WM. The first time, I did a lot of local runs (in the Dallas area) and I hated it. The second time, I did longer runs in TX/OK. I enjoyed that more. So, I have some knowledge here… There is no way the WM driver would have been tired at 1 am. All Walmart owned trucks have electronic logs. Breaks are MANDATORY and Hours on Duty and Hours Driving are monitored. And even before my company went to elogs, if I told dispatch I didn’t have the hours available to make some appointments, they’d arrange to take me off a load. And even at high noon on the sunniest summer day with 100º temperatures outside, in my sleeper with the curtains drawn and the AC running it would be pitch black at a comfy 68º. And some drivers prefer driving at night. There’s less traffic to deal with. The only real hassle is trying to find a place to park to shut down for a break at 1 am or so. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/42 "2014-06-08T19:21:43Z")
_30 Rock_ is/was one of my favorite programs, and I was very sad to hear about this accident, and especially that there was a death. ☹ Cruising along on semi-auto-pilot and then suddenly becoming aware that the traffic in front of you has slowed drastically or even stopped is terrifying and disorienting in broad daylight, let alone at night, in the \*middle \*of the night. When I’m in this situation, I IMMEDIATELY turn on my emergency flashers (which in my Saturn is an easy thing to do, unlike some cars I’ve had in the past where there’s a weird button on the side of the steering column requiring manual dexterity likely to be beyond your capacity when you’re well and truly panicked) so as to alert the drivers behind me that something different is happening. I just hope they’re far enough back that they can react in time. ---
**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, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/43 "2014-06-08T19:54:54Z")
Some statistics on night driving. The NHTSA has a very interesting panel study on[drowsy driving.](http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/drowsy_driving1/drowsy.html#III.%20CHARACTERISTICS%20OF%20DROWSY) Bolding is mine. > **[5 Tips for Driving Safely at Night | RoadWarrior](https://roadwarrior.app/blog/driving-at-night/)** > > Driving a night is a greater risk than daytime driving. Read 5 tips for driving safely at night. > [@](#): > > Nearly 90-percent of your reaction ability while driving relies on sight, yet the ability to see goes down dramatically at night. Your depth perception, color recognition and peripheral vision all take a nosedive when the sun goes down [source: Risk Control Services]. Also, we’re naturally less alert at night. > > As a result, nighttime driving is one of the most dangerous activities you can do, statistically speaking. Of all fatal car accidents, 49-percent occur at night, despite there being fewer drivers on the road. \*\*In fact, night driving has a fatality rate per mile nearly triple that of daytime driving \*\*[source: Elliott]. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/44 "2014-06-08T19:59:44Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Way, way over charged. …and you are basing this on what? A handful of online articles? Can you explain why this driver shouldn’t have been charged with “death by auto” and “assault by auto?” Do you have some sort of insight that you want to let the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office’s and the rest of us know? > [@](#): > > 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. Please do everyone a favour and do not drive when you are in this condition. There are no excuses for what you talk about. This isn’t normal, you shouldn’t be on the road if you are zoning out and you shouldn’t be putting anyone else at risk. When I drive at one in the morning I’m fresh and as focused on driving as I would be at any other time of the day. Don’t project your own bad driving on everyone else. > [@](#): > > Some statistics on night driving. The NHTSA has a very interesting panel study on drowsy driving. All the more reason for you to be responsible and not drive at night: you clearly can’t handle it. And this isn’t evidence that Kevin Roper has been overcharged. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/45 "2014-06-08T20:07:53Z")
Trying to think if there’s a way I can refer to that “Rule of three” episode on 30 Rock without looking like a jerk…guess that’s the best I can do. But seriously, should he and Curt Schilling pass…those will be right up there for me for top ten celebrities that have no business not being in this world. Phil Hartman of course is an eternal lock for the top spot. ---
**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, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/46 "2014-06-08T20:31:30Z")
I’m not sure how I could possibly use any more respected sources than the NHTSA and the others. The Forbes article is the reference that howstuffworks used. Night time driving is widely known to be extremely dangerous. It’s been studied for years by the NHTSA. Someone earlier mentioned the New Jersey Turnpike is one of the more dangerous roads. I just don’t see where this driver was criminally reckless or irresponsible. I hope he gets a very good lawyer. He’s facing very serious charges. I don’t want to belabor the point. A jury will eventually decide what happens to him. > **[Most Dangerous Times To Drive](https://www.forbes.com/2009/01/21/car-accident-times-forbeslife-cx_he_0121driving.html)** > > Minimizing risk isn't just about when you're on the road, but how careful you are. > [@](#): > > To compile our list of the most dangerous times to drive, we consulted the latest crash reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety. We also sourced studies from University of California at Berkeley’s Traffic Safety Center, which researches motor vehicle collisions and how to avoid them. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/47 "2014-06-08T20:33:09Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > Can you explain why this driver shouldn’t have been charged with “death by auto” and “assault by auto?” Do you have some sort of insight that you want to let the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office’s and the rest of us know? “death by auto” and “assault by auto” are the standard charges when the driver has been driving drunk or driving quite recklessly, or speeding substantially (20 plus miles over the speed limit…). Some of us feel these make the driver substantially more culpable than driving when a bit drowsy. Don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/48 "2014-06-08T20:37:06Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > “death by auto” and “assault by auto” are the standard charges when the driver has been driving drunk or driving quite recklessly, or speeding substantially (20 plus miles over the speed limit…). Some of us feel these make the driver substantially more culpable than driving when a bit drowsy. Don’t you? …don’t I what exactly? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/49 "2014-06-08T20:37:38Z")
If Morgan is able to recover well enough to return to comedy, he’ll have a career’s worth of material. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/50 "2014-06-08T20:41:36Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > If Morgan is able to recover well enough to return to comedy, he’ll have a career’s worth of material. I don’t know how many jokes one can make out of an event where one of your friends died. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/51 "2014-06-08T20:45:48Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m not sure how I could possibly use any more respected sources than the NHTSA and the others. The Forbes article is the reference that howstuffworks used. Night time driving is widely known to be extremely dangerous. It’s been studied for years by the NHTSA. Someone earlier mentioned the New Jersey Turnpike is one of the more dangerous roads. …what does that data have to do with anything that either happened in this accident, or any of the assertions you have made? Your cite is an irrelevant non-sequitur. It is more dangerous to drive at night. So you should be responsible and drive more carefully. That means you shouldn’t be driving if you’ve been awake for fifteen hour and you shouldn’t be driving if you are constantly zoning out. So please, if what you describe is an accurate description of how you actually drive in real life, then do us all a favour and get off the road. > [@](#): > > I just don’t see where this driver was criminally reckless or irresponsible. I’ll ask again: what on earth are you basing this judgement on? Are you some sort of a legal expert? Do you have access to information on this case that the rest of us don’t have? > [@](#): > > [Most Dangerous Times To Drive](http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/21/car-accident-times-forbeslife-cx_he_0121driving.html) Why do you keep citing completely irrelevant cites? ---
**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, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/52 "2014-06-08T20:54:41Z")
I was trying to explain why I felt this driver wasn’t doing anything more reckless or unusual than other drivers on the road that night. The problem of sleepy driving is well known and studied. I gave cites and links to statistics. Criminalizing a normal and unavoidable human response (to fatigue) just doesn’t make sense. Unless this guy’s logbooks show he was driving longer than the rules allow. Truck drivers do follow stricter rules than other drivers. I was just surprised because usually these types of charges are for deliberate acts. DUI’s, speeding etc. They typically don’t throw sleepy drivers into prison for causing accidents. We’d have to build a lot more prisons if we did. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/53 "2014-06-08T21:16:39Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I was trying to explain why I felt this driver wasn’t doing anything more reckless or unusual than other drivers on the road that night. …if you are driving sleepy you are driving recklessly. Get off the road. And that message has to get out to every other driver out there. > [@](#): > > The problem of sleepy driving is well known and studied. I gave cites and links to statistics. Cites and links to statistics of people driving while sleepy doesn’t make it either acceptable behaviour. Get off the road. > [@](#): > > Criminalizing a normal and unavoidable human response (to fatigue) just doesn’t make sense. You simply shouldn’t be driving fatigued. Get off the road. Criminalising reckless behaviour that causes death absolutely makes sense. Someone is dead, lives are ruined, because someone decided to drive when they shouldn’t have been on the road. > [@](#): > > Unless this guy’s logbooks show he was driving longer than the rules allow. Truck drivers do follow stricter rules than other drivers. I thought you knew everything you needed to know about this case and had already determined he had been overcharged? Surely you would know the contents of the guys logbooks to make this determination? > [@](#): > > I was just surprised because usually these types of charges are for deliberate acts. DUI’s, speeding etc. They typically don’t throw sleepy drivers into prison for causing accidents. We’d have to build a lot more prisons if we did. You simply don’t know enough about this case to be able to determine anything. Only a handful of bits of information have been released. I’m pretty sure the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office have a better handle on what actually happened than a few random dudes on the internet. They may well reduce the charges later on. But they won’t do that on the basis of a few newspaper articles. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/54 "2014-06-08T21:39:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Comic Tracy Morgan was “more responsive” Sunday but remained in critical condition a day after a deadly crash on the New Jersey Turnpike, his spokesman said. > > Morgan, who starred in 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live, suffered broken leg bones, a broken nose and several broken ribs in the crash that killed fellow comic and Morgan mentor James “Jimmy Mack” McNair, Morgan spokesman Lewis Kay said. > > “We expect him to remain in the hospital for several weeks,” Kay said > **[Tracy Morgan critical but improving after deadly crash](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/usanow/2014/06/08/tracy-morgan-critical-crash/10198791/)** > > Trucker Kevin Roper, facing death by auto and other charges, was free on $50,000 bail. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/55 "2014-06-08T21:46:29Z")
> [@susan](#): > > [Tracy Morgan critical but improving after deadly crash](http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2014/06/08/tracy-morgan-critical-crash/10198791/) Your post mentions physical injuries but not head injuries. Let’s hope that’s the 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, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/56 "2014-06-08T21:52:26Z")
It’s been well established that fatigue inhibits driving skill as much as alcohol. Saying that it’s okay doesn’t make any sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/57 "2014-06-08T22:12:26Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > It’s been well established that fatigue inhibits driving skill as much as alcohol. Saying that it’s okay doesn’t make any sense to me. Exactly. When a tank hits you there needs to be accountability, regardless how the driver has become impaired. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/58 "2014-06-08T22:19:35Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > I don’t know how many jokes one can make out of an event where one of your friends died. ☹ Comedy = tragedy + time. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/59 "2014-06-08T22:32:19Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …You simply don’t know enough about this case to be able to determine anything. Only a handful of bits of information have been released. I’m pretty sure the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office have a better handle on what actually happened than a few random dudes on the internet. They may well reduce the charges later on. But they won’t do that on the basis of a few newspaper articles. This. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272/60 "2014-06-08T22:57:20Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I was trying to explain why I felt this driver wasn’t doing anything more reckless or unusual than other drivers on the road that night. So, because other people \*also \*behave recklessly, that means this driver shouldn’t be accountable for his actions? If you can’t drive without falling asleep, **get off the fucking road!** Yes, you, **aceplace**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracy-morgan-in-critical-condition-after-an-accident/690272.md?page=4)