A tragic truck accident occurred in New Jersey on June 7, 2014 in Cranbury Township.  The alleged negligent truck driver, Keven Roper (age 35),  is a resident of Jonesboro, Georgia.  The accident involved a Wal-mart big rig swerving to avoid rear ending the Mercedes van carrying Tracy Morgan, a comedian formerly on Saturday Night Live, and comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair.  Tracy Morgan suffers from serious injuries, but comedian James McNair died in the crash.   A Walmart spokes person stated that if their driver is found to be at fault for this deadly crash, then they accept responsibility.   It is very likely that this truck accident will result in  Tracy Morgan having a valid personal injury claim and the surviving family of James McNair having a valid wrongful death claim.   It is also likely that the truck driver, Keven Roper, will face criminal charges as well.

Since Walmart has a huge number of trucks on the road, it is not surprising that Walmart trucks are involved in a large number of truck accidents around the United States.  CBS New York news reported the following facts about Walmart trucks:

  • Walmart trucks have been involved over 380 truck crashes resulting in 9 deaths and 129 injuries.
  • Per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Walmart has 6239 trucks on the road with about 7,222 truck drivers.
  • Walmart trucks drove about 667 million miles last year alone.

Attorney Richard Griffin and his Pain Law attorneys specialize in truck accident personal injury cases and wrongful death cases that occur in Georgia.  Personal injury claimants and wrongful death claimants in this New Jersey truck accident should seek out an experienced truck accident attorney and wrongful death attorney licensed in New Jersey.  The most important first step for anyone with a personal injury or wrongful death claim is to call an experienced injury trial attorney as soon as possible.

What are common causes of truck accidents?  Often truck drivers cause truck accidents on our highways by being guilty of one or more of the following:

  • driving too fast
  • following too closely
  • changing lanes improperly
  • carrying an excessive or improperly loaded trailer
  • driving too many hours without proper rest
  • driving while intoxicated with drugs or alcohol
  • driving without enough rest
  • driving while distracted by use of cell phones or other electronic devices

In Georgia truck accident claims it is important to investigate the accident as quickly as possible after the truck accident occurs to capture critical evidence.  Some of this evidence includes trucking logs, black box or GPS information, driver’s logs, and other important trucking documentation.  In this case that occurred in New Jersey, it is believed that the truck driver, Kevin Roper, had not slept in over 24 hours.  This would be very important evidence for both the civil lawsuits and criminal lawsuits that are likely to arise from this deadly crash.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a truck accident in Georgia, we encourage you to call our Atlanta truck accident lawyers at 877-PAIN- LAW (877-724-6529).