The '30 Rock' star is firing back at Walmart after the company blamed him for not wearing seat belt during a car accident involving his limo bus and a Walmart truck earlier this year.
- October 1, 2014
AceShowbiz -
Tracy Morgan spoke out against Walmart who blamed him for not wearing seat belt during a six car accident which involved his limo bus and a Walmart truck back in June. Tracy issued a statement on Tuesday, September 30, "After I heard what Walmart said in court I felt I had to speak out."
"I can't believe Walmart is blaming me for an accident that they caused. My friends and I were doing nothing wrong," the "Superhero Movie" actor continued, "I want to thank my fans for sticking with me during this difficult time. I love you all. I'm fighting hard every day to get back."
Tracy's lawyer, Benedict Morelli, told New York Daily News that his client's "very upset" about Walmart's blame-the-victims defense. "[Tracy]'s struggling every day, fighting hard just to get incrementally better, and they hit him with this," Benedict said.
Benedict called Walmart's defense "callous" and "disingenuous." He added, "Seatbelts had nothing to do with it." He claimed that Tracy's limo bus was "at a dead stop" due to a road work on June 7. He added the limo bus "was hit in the rear by a tractor trailer going 65 miles per hour." The lawyer said that the truck driver "never braked, never swerved" and hit straight into the bus, causing the death of fellow comedian James McNair and leaving Tracy and other passengers badly injured.
Benedict said that Tracy and other passengers, including Jeffrey Millea and Ardley Fuqua, suffered brain injuries in the accident and didn't remember whether or not they wore seat belts prior to the accident. The lawyer said Tracy, Jeffrey and Ardley still need to undergo more surgeries and hours of rehab treatment everyday, adding, "They're trying to get their brains to work the way they worked before the accident."
Walmart released a new statement regarding the issue on the same day through their spokeswoman, Brooke Buchanan. "Walmart is committed to working to resolve all of the remaining issues as a result of the accident," Brooke said, "As part of the ordinary course of legal proceedings, Walmart filed an initial response yesterday to the lawsuit that included facts and defenses that may impact the case moving forward."
She continued, "While we were required to respond to the lawsuit, we have also taken steps to encourage settlement discussions. Our thoughts continue to go out to everyone involved, and we remain committed to doing what's right."
