Morgan spent seven years on Saturday Night Live, and was Emmy-nominated for his role on 30 Rock
Comedian and 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan is still in a critical condition after a multi-vehicle crash over the weekend, but is showing signs of improvement.
He suffered injuries including broken ribs, a broken nose, broken leg and broken femur.
Following surgery for a broken leg, Morgan "has been more responsive... which is an incredibly encouraging sign," said his spokesman.
"We expect him to remain in the hospital for several weeks."
Morgan, 45, was travelling in a limo bus when the crash happened on a New Jersey highway on Saturday night.
Another passenger, comedian James McNair, who performed under the name Jimmy Mack, was killed.
Their vehicle was struck by a Walmart truck, whose driver has since been charged with death by auto, and four counts of assault by auto.
Footage from the scene showed Morgan's limo bus had flipped over
Authorities said Kevin Roper, 35, from Georgia, apparently failed to slow for traffic and swerved at the last minute to avoid a crash. Instead, his truck hit the back of the limo bus.
In all, six vehicles were involved in the accident, but no one from the other cars was injured.
The driver of Morgan's vehicle, Tyrone Gale said he had been disorientated after his vehicle flipped over, and could hear the passengers in distress.
"I climbed around and heard Tracy screaming for help," he told ABC News.
"I climbed up on the body of the limo bus … but I couldn't reach them."
Morgan's assistant, Jeffrey Millea and comedian Ardie Fuqua Jr were also critically injured in the crash and remain in hospital.
The driver and another passenger, comic Harris Stanton, were treated and released.
In a statement released on Saturday, Walmart president Bill Simon said the company would "take full responsibility" if authorities determined one of its trucks had caused the crash.
"We're praying for the family and friends of the passenger who lost his life in the terrible accident," the statement said.
Accompanied by his lawyer, Roper turned himself in to New Jersey police. He was released on $50,000 (£29,725) bail on Saturday night.
Morgan was a series regular on Saturday Night Live for seven years and earned an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor for his role in the sitcom 30 Rock.
He was known for his outrageous impressions, including Mike Tyson and Oprah Winfrey, but struggled with alcoholism.
During one notorious live TV appearance in Texas, he removed his shirt and announced "someone's gonna get pregnant".
After being arrested twice for drink driving and ordered to wear an ankle monitoring device, Morgan said it took tough talk from his then-teenage son to sober him up.
He found an ally in fellow Saturday Night Live star Tina Fey, who wrote Morgan into her sitcom 30 Rock, playing an exaggerated version of himself, called Tracy Jordan.
Fey described his character as a "lunatic comedy star", whose antics frequently threaten to derail a comedy TV show, loosely based on Saturday Night Live.
Morgan's famous TV outburst was even referenced in an episode where Jordan declared: "I love cornbread so much I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant".
Following Saturday's crash, Morgan's 30 Rock co-star Alec Baldwin said: "Let's hope for a full and speedy recovery for Tracy and the others involved in that crash".
Chat show host Conan O'Brien added: "Thinking about Tracy Morgan and his family today. Hoping for a fast recovery for this sweet and uniquely funny man."
"I ask all of you to throw a special prayer up to the big fella for my friend Tracy Morgan," wrote film star Kevin Hart. "He's been on my mind heavy."
Morgan's spokesperson, Lewis Kay, said Morgan's family was "tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans".
0 comments:
Post a Comment