Conflicting reports emerged early Sunday about the status of actor and comedian Tracy Morgan, one day after the “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock” star was critically injured in a six-vehicle accident Saturday morning that left at least one person dead.
Morgan, 45, is currently listed in critical condition at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. following the accident on the New Jersey Turnpike early Saturday morning.
“He’s got a brace on his neck, but he’s smiling,” a friend of the comedian who saw him Saturday told the New York Post. However, Morgan’s ex-wife Sabina told the New York Daily News that the comedian was “not in good shape.”
“I’m traumatized. I’m so upset. I can’t believe it. It’s like I’m in a nightmare,” Sabina Morgan said. “‘We’re just still vigilant with prayer.”
Morgan was traveling in a limo bus with six other passengers in Cranbury around 1 a.m. after performing a standup routine when the vehicle overturned, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Gregory Williams told FoxNews.com.
James McNair, of Peekskille, New York, a passenger in the limo bus, died in the crash, Williams said. Morgan and Jeffrey Millea, 36, of Shelton, Connecticut, were flown from the accident scene to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, where they were in critical condition, hospital spokesman Peter Haigney said
A fourth passenger, comedian Ardie Fuqua Jr., was also in critical condition, while a fifth passenger, comic Harris Stanton, was treated and released, Haigney said. Two others in the limo were unhurt, including the driver.
A truck driver from Georgia was charged with death by auto in connection to the crash, prosecutors said. Middlesex County prosecutors said 35-year-old Kevin Roper, of Jonesboro, also faces four counts of assault by auto stemming from the crash. His bail was set at $50,000, and he was expected to turn himself in later Saturday. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney.
Williams said the tractor-trailer driver apparently failed to notice slow traffic ahead and swerved at the last minute in a vain attempt to avoid a crash. But it smashed into the back of the limo, prompting a chain-reaction crash with a second tractor-trailer, an SUV and two cars.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was working with state police to look at any issues in the crash related to commercial trucking and limousine safety.
Walmart President Bill Simon said in a statement a Walmart truck was involved in the accident and that the company “will take full responsibility” if authorities determine that its truck caused the accident.
“We’re praying for the family and friends of the passenger who lost his life in the terrible accident” the statement said. “Our hearts go out to everyone involved and we hope those who were injured get the care that they need and make a full recovery.”
Morgan performed comedy standup Friday night at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino in Delaware. His scheduled appearance at the Fillmore Charlotte in North Carolina on Saturday night has been canceled.
The New York City native gained fame when he became a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” in 1996, and was on the sketch-comedy program for seven years before leaving to star in “The Tracy Morgan Show” in 2003. In 2006, Morgan found a long-running role on NBC’s hit show “30 Rock,” which was created by “SNL” co-star Tina Fey.
He received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor for “30 Rock” in 2009.
Morgan grew up fatherless, one of five siblings, in a blight section of Brooklyn, where he helped raise and support the family.
He once called his gift for being funny “a defense mechanism” for his miserable circumstances. As a teen, he started doing comedy on the streets to supplement the family’s welfare income.
In recent years, he has struggled with alcoholism and been arrested on drunken driving charges. He had a successful kidney transplant in late 2010.
Morgan’s films include “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” “The Longest Yard,” “First Sunday,” “Rio,” and “Why Stop Now.”
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