Tracy Morgan transferred to rehab center to recover from crash
Tracy Morgan has been moved from a hospital to a rehabilitation facility as he recovers from a serious auto accident in New Jersey, the actor-comedian's spokesman said Friday.
"Tracy has been transferred to an undisclosed rehab center, where he is expected to remain for the next few weeks. While he is continuing to show signs of improvement, he still has a long way to go," spokesman Lewis Kay said. "He and [fiancee Megan Wallover] wanted to publicly express their deepest gratitude to everyone at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for the unbelievable care and attention they provided him."
Morgan suffered a broken leg and broken ribs in the June 7 accident, when his limousine van was hit from behind by a Wal-Mart truck on the New Jersey Turnpike. Morgan's friend James McNair, 62, of Peekskill, N.Y., was killed and Morgan and two other men were seriously injured.
On Thursday, a report by federal transportation safety investigators said the truck driver was speeding before he slammed into the limousine van on a stretch of the turnpike where the speed limit was lowered to 45 mph due to construction.
The report also raised anew questions about driver Kevin Roper's work hours and whether they were in conflict with federal safety guidelines.
The 35-year-old Roper, of Jonesboro, Ga., has pleaded not guilty to one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto.
Roper had been on the job about 13 and a half hours at the time of the crash, the report concluded. Federal rules permit truck drivers to work up to 14 hours a day, with a maximum of 11 hours behind the wheel.
Had Roper continued to his eventual destination in Perth Amboy, he would have been pushing the 14-hour limit if he drove at the speed limit. A Wal-Mart spokeswoman didn't comment Thursday on Roper's hours or his itinerary.
Messages left Thursday at several phone numbers listed for Roper's attorney were not immediately returned.
Morgan's assistant, Jeffrey Millea, of Shelton, Conn., has been upgraded from serious to fair condition, according to Kay. Hospital officials said this week that comedian Ardie Fuqua, of Jersey City, N.J., remains in critical condition.