Almost a year after the June 7, 2014, collision occurred between a Walmart truck and the limousine in which he was riding, American actor and comic Tracy Morgan gave his first television interview to the Today show.
The comedian, who was left in a coma after the wreck that claimed the life of his good friend and fellow comic, James (Jimmy Mack) McNair, has no memory of the accident. In May, he reached an undisclosed settlement agreement with Walmart for his extensive injuries. In addition to a traumatic brain injury, Morgan broke ribs and fractured a leg. He is still convalescing, and says that he has both good days and bad days.
During his Today show appearance, the comedian held a cane in his right hand and got emotional describing how he learned about his good friend’s death two weeks after the accident. He acknowledged the past year has been emotionally tough.
“The pain is always going to be there for Jimmy Mack. He was a close friend . . . a comrade in comedy . . . a loving man and . . . a warm man,” Morgan remembered, as his voice broke.
Morgan and friends were returning from a comedy gig at a Dover, Del., casino when the fatal collision happened on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Morgan was especially stricken by the fact that normally his fiancée and then-10-month-old daughter would have been accompanying him. But the baby was teething, so they remained at home.
The comedian grew tearful when asked if he intended to return to performing. Admitting that he was not yet fully recovered, he said his primary goal was to heal, but he “can’t wait to get back” to making people laugh.
Injuries such as Morgan’s do more than physical damage. They leave psychological scars that may never heal. When approached by the defense for a settlement, it’s important to make sure the terms include the invisible damages that can haunt accident victims long after their physical scars have faded.