A little less than one year since his tour vehicle was slammed into by a Walmart truck, comedian and former “30 Rock” star Tracy Morgan has settled a lawsuit against the retailer. Morgan’s attorney, Benedict Morelli, spoke with TODAY Thursday about the settlement.
“The process is never easy,” Morelli said, but added that with the settlement behind them, Morgan is looking forward to moving on. “He has a new lease on life.”
In his first appearance since the accident, Morgan will join Matt Lauer live for an exclusive interview on TODAY Monday.
The settlement was filed in federal court in Newark, New Jersey on Wednesday, and details remain confidential.
“Walmart did right by me and my family and for my associates and their families,” said Morgan in a statement. “I am grateful that the case was resolved amicably.”
Added Morelli, “There was money involved because that’s the only thing that we can use to compensate people who are very injured, and you know that Tracy was close to death.”
On June 7, 2014 the Walmart truck crashed into the limo van carrying Morgan and several others back from a Delaware show. Fellow comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair was killed. Morgan suffered head trauma, a broken leg and broken ribs. Two other passengers were seriously injured.
Driver Kevin Roper faces criminal charges but was not named as a defendant in Morgan’s lawsuit. A criminal complaint alleges that the driver was operating the truck without sleep for over 24 hours and was driving 20 miles over the 55 mph speed limit on the highway on the fateful night.
Morelli was impressed by the company’s actions. “[We] do feel that they did take full responsibility,” he said. “I was very, very surprised, pleasantly surprised that Walmart stepped up to the plate.” “Our thoughts continue to go out to everyone that was involved in the accident,” said Greg Foran, Walmart U.S. president and CEO, in the statement. “While we know there is nothing that can change what happened, Walmart has been committed to doing what’s right to help ensure the well-being of all of those who were impacted by the accident.” This story originally appeared on TODAY.com
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