A 36-year-old Shelton, Connecticut, man was critically injured in a six-vehicle crash on the New Jersey Turnpike on Saturday that killed one man and left comedian Tracy Morgan and one other person critically injured.
Jeffrey Millea is Morgan's assistant, friend and family confirmed to NBC Connecticut. Millea and Morgan were on their way back from a stand-up show in Delaware early Saturday with five others when a Walmart tractor-trailer struck their limo bus, causing it to overturn, New Jersey State Police confirmed.
The crash killed Morgan's mentor James "Jimmy Mack" McNair, 62, of Peekskill, New York. Millea and comedian Ardie Fuqua Jr. were listed in critical condition along with Morgan at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Zenaida Mendez said on Sunday, The Associated Press reported. Another comedian, Harris Stanton, was treated and released from the hospital on Saturday.
A representative for Morgan said in a statement on Sunday that Morgan "has been more responsive today, which is an incredibly encouraging sign."
"He sustained a number of injuries including a broken leg, a broken femur, a broken nose and several broken ribs," the statement continued. "He had surgery earlier today on his leg. We expect him to remain in the hospital for several weeks. His family is tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans."
The truck driver accused of triggering the six-vehicle crash, 35-year-old Kevin Roper, of Georgia, has been charged with one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto.
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He was driving a Walmart tractor-trailer northbound on the New Jersey Turnpike in Cranbury, N.J. when he struck the limo bus in slow-moving traffic, officials told NBC Philadelphia.
