Comedian Tracy Morgan Sues Walmart after Car Accident

The popular comedian and actor, Tracy Morgan, best known for his starring role in NBC’s “30Rock” decided to sue the Wal-Mart driver involved in the car accident that badly injured him and others this year.

The allegations of Mr. Morgan’s injury include a head-on collision with a Wal-Mart company semi-truck that crossed the median in the early hours of June 7, 2014. The vehicle crash left Mr. Morgan in the intensive care unit of the hospital with broken ribs, a broken nose, and a broken leg. The crash also resulted in injuries to several other passengers, and the death of one person, fellow comedian James McNair.

The fact that the semi-truck collided with a movie and television star merited a high amount of public attention. The fact that the truck was hauling for Walmart, an enormous corporate brand-name itself, created even more publicity for the case. While Mr. Morgan’s personal injuries continue to heal, there is no question that Mr. Morgan’s case will receive a great deal of attention by the court and with public outcries for compensation for his injuries.

But what if there had not been a famous person in the car accident? Would the “average Joe” be able to recover from Wal-Mart, or from the driver personally, if that were the scenario?

The answer is “yes” with very high probability. The specific facts of every person’s individual circumstance will dictate choices for a course of action, and one can never guarantee a particular result from any situation. That said, the general rule for liability following a car crash injury where an employee is driving the other vehicle is that the employer is vicariously liable (takes on the liability) for the acts of its employees as long as the employee is acting within his or her normal course of business.

These are the kinds of facts that a court weighs when assessing liability. If you have been injured in a car accident, please seek out the advice and counsel of the car accident attorneys of Heiting& Irwin.

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