http://www.cbsnews.com/news/charges-filed-in-tracy-morgan-new-jersey-turnpike-crash/
Well we do not have other evidence at this time on the suspect.
The truck driver is from Georgia apparently. The crash looked grizzly as hell and I do not understand how one could cause a crash like that... but... well...
Anyway, hope Tracy Morgan can pull through. As of now he's still in critical condition.
This story contains an image of the tractor pulling the Wal-Mart trailer that was involved.
N.Y. Times: Tracy Morgan Critically Hurt in New Jersey Car Crash (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/nyregion/tracy-morgan.html)
Quote from: cpzilliacus on June 08, 2014, 11:34:00 PM
This story contains an image of the tractor pulling the Wal-Mart trailer that was involved.
N.Y. Times: Tracy Morgan Critically Hurt in New Jersey Car Crash (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/nyregion/tracy-morgan.html)
QuoteThe preliminary investigation by the state police found that Mr. Roper, who was traveling north in the center lane of the highway, failed to observe slow-moving traffic ahead of him, Sergeant Williams said. Mr. Roper noticed the traffic at the last minute and tried to swerve, but he still struck the van.
How in the world do you FAIL to notice slow moving traffic ahead of you? :banghead:
I ended up driving by it on the southbound side
Quote from: Zeffy on June 09, 2014, 12:14:08 AM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on June 08, 2014, 11:34:00 PM
This story contains an image of the tractor pulling the Wal-Mart trailer that was involved.
N.Y. Times: Tracy Morgan Critically Hurt in New Jersey Car Crash (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/nyregion/tracy-morgan.html)
QuoteThe preliminary investigation by the state police found that Mr. Roper, who was traveling north in the center lane of the highway, failed to observe slow-moving traffic ahead of him, Sergeant Williams said. Mr. Roper noticed the traffic at the last minute and tried to swerve, but he still struck the van.
How in the world do you FAIL to notice slow moving traffic ahead of you? :banghead:
Highway hypnosis, he was probably on the road for several hours prior to getting onto the turnpike, or tunnel vision. He got snapped out of it at the last second...but it was too late.
Quote from: Zeffy on June 09, 2014, 12:14:08 AM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on June 08, 2014, 11:34:00 PM
This story contains an image of the tractor pulling the Wal-Mart trailer that was involved.
N.Y. Times: Tracy Morgan Critically Hurt in New Jersey Car Crash (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/nyregion/tracy-morgan.html)
QuoteThe preliminary investigation by the state police found that Mr. Roper, who was traveling north in the center lane of the highway, failed to observe slow-moving traffic ahead of him, Sergeant Williams said. Mr. Roper noticed the traffic at the last minute and tried to swerve, but he still struck the van.
How in the world do you FAIL to notice slow moving traffic ahead of you? :banghead:
When you're not watching the traffic in front of you...ie: cell phone use, dozing off, reading a book/magazine/newspaper, etc.
This is the first I've ever heard the Turnpike called "The Black Dragon" - they are making our beloved road out to be so sinister...
http://news.yahoo.com/tracy-morgan-entourage-latest-victims-black-dragon-214304350--abc-news-topstories.html
Was this driver being charged the one in the Wal Mart truck? I am asking cause the Wal Mart Truck is one of the vehicles you see photographed in the pictures covering the crash. I know it was a total of six altogether that were the accident itself. It would be strange shopping in Wal Mart or Sam's now knowing one of their employees was to blame for this tragedy.
Quote from: roadman65 on June 09, 2014, 10:56:00 AM
Was this driver being charged the one in the Wal Mart truck? I am asking cause the Wal Mart Truck is one of the vehicles you see photographed in the pictures covering the crash. I know it was a total of six altogether that were the accident itself. It would be strange shopping in Wal Mart or Sam's now knowing one of their employees was to blame for this tragedy.
Walmart has already released a statement saying that their truck drivers are taught better than this, and Walmart will financially support all the victims in any way possible.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 09, 2014, 06:38:27 AM
When you're not watching the traffic in front of you...ie:...dozing off...
Authorities are now saying he had been awake for more than 24 hours without rest, a blatant violation of federal rules on long-haul trucking.
http://7online.com/entertainment/trucker-in-tracy-morgan-crash-hadnt-slept-officials-say/103246/
Re: 24 hrs no sleep. I have been told by reliable source Wal Mart will have a driver unload "off the clock" thus not in log as work then expect driver to drive where ever they are suppose to drive next. If the driver bitches about it they are fired on the spot. If true don't know how they get away with it but Wal Mart is a power house with a load of attorneys and political dollars at work. I guess it will all shake out.
Quote from: leroys73 on June 09, 2014, 03:47:05 PM
Re: 24 hrs no sleep. I have been told by reliable source Wal Mart will have a driver unload "off the clock" thus not in log as work then expect driver to drive where ever they are suppose to drive next. If the driver bitches about it they are fired on the spot. If true don't know how they get away with it but Wal Mart is a power house with a load of attorneys and political dollars at work. I guess it will all shake out.
My first reaction was that Walmart coming out against this is a PR move to distract from the fact that their truckers cave to the pressures they and every other company put on their drivers.
Quote from: Zeffy on June 09, 2014, 11:07:35 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on June 09, 2014, 10:56:00 AM
Was this driver being charged the one in the Wal Mart truck? I am asking cause the Wal Mart Truck is one of the vehicles you see photographed in the pictures covering the crash. I know it was a total of six altogether that were the accident itself. It would be strange shopping in Wal Mart or Sam's now knowing one of their employees was to blame for this tragedy.
Walmart has already released a statement saying that their truck drivers are taught better than this, and Walmart will financially support all the victims in any way possible.
I concur, the instructors at my school did talk to us about this accident. According to one of them you need at least 2 to 3 years of experience before going to work for Walmart, plus a blemish free record. The instructor said this driver may never drive a vehicle again due to it potentially being vehicular manslaughter, his CDL is toast regardless.
While a lot of people are focusing on this accident due to Walmart and a celebrity being involved, it's well known that many if not most companies and drivers do what they can to skirt the rules.
It's also interesting to see all the comments that people say this accident is being followed so closely by the NTSB because a celebrity was involved...but I bet those same people can't name the person that was killed in the accident, which shows they are only concerned about this accident because of Walmart and a celebrity being involved!
I often agree about pressure being put on workers these days. I am not sure with how Wal Mart treats their employees, but if it like many where micro managing takes place you can bet there is pressure there.
I am betting that Wal Mart is a big pressure as the MO fits them. Cameras all over the store is usually a big temptation for micro managing. Even though that is for shop lifting it still can be used for checking for goof offs and gold bricks as well as to monitor efficiency of each worker and has been even in places I used to work.
UPS and Fed Ex are ones too without cameras as they put strong deadlines on drivers despite roads are not always clear. There second grad arithmetic plays a part as Time times Rate equals distance and the big wigs look at that and base delivery times on that. That is why so many Fed Ex and UPS run red lights so much while driving like idiots!
Quote from: roadman65 on June 09, 2014, 04:23:25 PM
I often agree about pressure being put on workers these days. I am not sure with how Wal Mart treats their employees, but if it like many where micro managing takes place you can bet there is pressure there.
I am betting that Wal Mart is a big pressure as the MO fits them. Cameras all over the store is usually a big temptation for micro managing. Even though that is for shop lifting it still can be used for checking for goof offs and gold bricks as well as to monitor efficiency of each worker and has been even in places I used to work.
UPS and Fed Ex are ones too without cameras as they put strong deadlines on drivers despite roads are not always clear. There second grad arithmetic plays a part as Time times Rate equals distance and the big wigs look at that and base delivery times on that. That is why so many Fed Ex and UPS run red lights so much while driving like idiots!
I'm glad that someone else said it. Wal-Mart is a miserable place to work. My ex used to work there, and the stories that she told me convinced me that I should never shop there again.
I saw Tracy back in 2006 in Worcester, with Jim Norton, Louie C.K. Bob Saget, and Patrice O'Neal. He wasn't the funniest that night out of everyone on that bill, but it's still sad, because I love "the Tracy Morgan Show." That's one of those shows that should have gone on a lot longer.
Back to the highway topic at hand, the Turnpike is just a poorly designed highway. That's my $0.02.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 09, 2014, 04:20:11 PM
While a lot of people are focusing on this accident due to Walmart and a celebrity being involved, it's well known that many if not most companies and drivers do what they can to skirt the rules.
It's also interesting to see all the comments that people say this accident is being followed so closely by the NTSB because a celebrity was involved...but I bet those same people can't name the person that was killed in the accident, which shows they are only concerned about this accident because of Walmart and a celebrity being involved!
If the accident is being investigated by the NTSB, they are being fairly quiet about it. I usually get notifications from the NTSB when they send a Go Team in response to a highway crash, as well as any initial media briefings, but I haven't heard anything from them on this one yet.
And, I suspect the NTSB's principal interest in this crash is because the initial evidence suggests that fatigue on the part of the Wal-Mart driver may have been a key factor. Fatigue issues with commercial drivers are one of the NTSB's current "hot button" issues right now.
As for WalMart, you have to wonder about the logic behind a shipping strategy whereby they send their goods from Georgia to stores in the Northeast over the road one tractor trailer load at a time. IMO, it would seem to be far more sensible to put those trailers on rail for most of the trip, like UPS does.
Quote from: roadman on June 09, 2014, 05:30:24 PM
As for WalMart, you have to wonder about the logic behind a shipping strategy whereby they send their goods from Georgia to stores in the Northeast over the road one tractor trailer load at a time. IMO, it would seem to be far more sensible to put those trailers on rail for most of the trip, like UPS does.
Much as I dislike Walmart, the company didn't become the world's largest retailer by being inept. And both boosters and critics seem to agree that Walmart's key advantage over competitors like Kmart has been in the company's ninja-like mastery of logistics. I doubt they've left any stone unturned and if they could make 1/3 of an extra cent by shipping shaving cream by rail, they absolutely would.
Quote from: massroadpatriot on June 09, 2014, 05:13:41 PM
Back to the highway topic at hand, the Turnpike is just a poorly designed highway. That's my $0.02.
I'll pay a lot more to understand your opinion regarding the Turnpike being a poorly designed highway. While it's not America's first super highway or first toll road, a lot of what you see on the Turnpike became or had a significant effect on becoming the standard for today's interstates, including shoulder width, lane width, ramp radius, sight lines, maximum grade, etc. Last year, 9 people total died in accidents on the highway: 1 on motorcycle, 3 pedestrians, 4 in vehicles but not wearing seatbelts, and 1 in a vehicle and wearing a seatbelt. While many fear for their lives on that road, it's actually one of the safest highways in the country: The death rate is about as close to 0 as one would get for such a busy road. This accident really had nothing to do with the road itself; it had to do with congestion and drowsiness, which could occur on any road anywhere at any time.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 09, 2014, 04:20:11 PM
It's also interesting to see all the comments that people say this accident is being followed so closely by the NTSB because a celebrity was involved...but I bet those same people can't name the person that was killed in the accident, which shows they are only concerned about this accident because of Walmart and a celebrity being involved!
The person killed was also a celebrity, maybe not as well known as Tracy Morgan, but still fairly well known...James McNair, AKA Jimmy Mac.
Quote from: massroadpatriot on June 09, 2014, 05:13:41 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on June 09, 2014, 04:23:25 PM
I often agree about pressure being put on workers these days. I am not sure with how Wal Mart treats their employees, but if it like many where micro managing takes place you can bet there is pressure there.
I am betting that Wal Mart is a big pressure as the MO fits them. Cameras all over the store is usually a big temptation for micro managing. Even though that is for shop lifting it still can be used for checking for goof offs and gold bricks as well as to monitor efficiency of each worker and has been even in places I used to work.
UPS and Fed Ex are ones too without cameras as they put strong deadlines on drivers despite roads are not always clear. There second grad arithmetic plays a part as Time times Rate equals distance and the big wigs look at that and base delivery times on that. That is why so many Fed Ex and UPS run red lights so much while driving like idiots!
I'm glad that someone else said it. Wal-Mart is a miserable place to work. My ex used to work there, and the stories that she told me convinced me that I should never shop there again.
I saw Tracy back in 2006 in Worcester, with Jim Norton, Louie C.K. Bob Saget, and Patrice O'Neal. He wasn't the funniest that night out of everyone on that bill, but it's still sad, because I love "the Tracy Morgan Show." That's one of those shows that should have gone on a lot longer.
Back to the highway topic at hand, the Turnpike is just a poorly designed highway. That's my $0.02.
I have heard that too first hand from an employee who works in one of the many Orlando area stores. He said the pay stinks and some other stuff I cannot remember. Maybe that is why they chose the company I used to work for to wash their uniforms and provide their floor mats and aprons, because they both operate the same in putting pressure on the employees for the most profit. I would not surprise me if the retail giant is cutting corners by forcing their drivers to go 1100 miles in 20 hours or less.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 09, 2014, 04:20:11 PM
a lot of people are focusing on this accident due to Walmart and a celebrity being involved
Last Thanksgiving my brother-in-law's parents were killed in a rear end crash on the Ohio Turnpike by a wild young driver high on drugs running over 100 in which their car caught on fire and they could not get out. Except locally, nothing was heard of it and then only on the internet with not much there. It was not a police chase as he blew by the police so fast they could not pursue him. Had to radio ahead and by then it was too late.
The single most unsafe thing about the Turnpike is the congestion at 6-8A, which is about to go away. It's truly sad that there was one more casualty from that stretch, but we can all hope that is the last one. Once the widened highway opens, the only deaths I would expect to see are drunks and druggies going way too fast.
Quote from: leroys73 on June 09, 2014, 09:19:09 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 09, 2014, 04:20:11 PM
a lot of people are focusing on this accident due to Walmart and a celebrity being involved
Last Thanksgiving my brother-in-law's parents were killed in a rear end crash on the Ohio Turnpike by a wild young driver high on drugs running over 100 in which their car caught on fire and they could not get out. Except locally, nothing was heard of it and then only on the internet with not much there. It was not a police chase as he blew by the police so fast they could not pursue him. Had to radio ahead and by then it was too late.
I did read about this shortly after this happened and I am sorry for your loss. I also saw the police video of this and there was no way they were going to catch him as, if I remember, he was going nearly 130 mph.
If Wal-Mart had union drivers, there would be no way they would be travelling all those miles and all those hours. I was an independent contractor and used to drive a 6-wheeler (I hate the term "box truck") all across the country. Yes, there are times when my logbook would be "fudged", but maybe by two hours at the most. There is no way I would, or could, drive 20 or more hours to bring supplies somewhere.
Thank you Amroad 17.
Quote from: amroad17 on June 10, 2014, 04:38:11 AM
If Wal-Mart had union drivers, there would be no way they would be travelling all those miles and all those hours. I was an independent contractor and used to drive a 6-wheeler (I hate the term "box truck") all across the country. Yes, there are times when my logbook would be "fudged", but maybe by two hours at the most. There is no way I would, or could, drive 20 or more hours to bring supplies somewhere.
Saw elsewhere that the truck had electronic logging, and the driver had not worked extra, but had voluntarily and for personal reasons not gotten any sleep. The Walmart haters of the world can't blame this on the Walton empire. This one's strictly on the truck driver. For all we know he may have stayed up all night watching online pr0n.
Guys, take it from someone who's actually in the industry. Walmart Transportation, LLC. and Walmart Stores, Inc. are two separate and very, very different companies. They are affiliated, and both run from Bentonville, but are in fact separate and and they are run quite differently.
Nobody wants to work in a Walmart store or DC. Walmart truck-driving jobs, however, are highly coveted in the industry, and they have a waiting list a mile long at any given DC. A Walmart driving job is considered to be one of the best truck driving jobs you can get. Walmart Transportation has one of the lowest driver turnover rates in the industry. That speaks for itself.
Walmart tractors do indeed have electronic logs, on which driving time cannot be cheated. And the dispatch will NOT push you to do what you say you can't do, contrary to popular belief. For a week, in November of 2012, I actually ran as a Walmart contract driver. They ran me hard, but never once did they try to push me to exceed my limits - despite the fact that I was on paper logs at the time, and seeing how I was only doing it temporarily, I could not communicate with them over the Qualcomm (so there would have been a "paper" trail) - it was all by phone. My company is also the full-time contract carrier at three DCs (that I know of, although some rumors I've been hearing would suggest that we've picked up a couple more) and I have talked with several drivers who work on those fleets, they report the same - that they are not pushed around by Walmart's dispatch.
This is a case of a driver who simply did not speak up - for whatever reason - that he was not fit to drive that day. I have to agree with H.B. that this one is squarely on the driver, not the company.
And as for the truck that was based in Georgia being in New Jersey:
Going back to my company being the contract carrier at several DCs, we have the North Platte, Nebraska DC. It's not uncommon for the drivers on that account to go as far as Chicago, sometimes even farther.
Quote from: Crazy Volvo Guy on June 12, 2014, 05:04:39 AM
Guys, take it from someone who's actually in the industry. Walmart Transportation, LLC. and Walmart Stores, Inc. are two separate and very, very different companies. They are affiliated, and both run from Bentonville, but are in fact separate and and they are run quite differently.
While Roper's (the truck driver) home address is in Georgia, his job was actually based out of Delaware.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/06/11/kevin-roper-driver-charged-in-tracy-morgan-crash-due-in-court/
QuoteAccident investigators are looking into what role Roper's commute played in the fatal crash. NTSB spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said Roper lived in Georgia, but his job was based in Delaware.
QuoteThis is a case of a driver who simply did not speak up - for whatever reason - that he was not fit to drive that day. I have to agree with H.B. that this one is squarely on the driver, not the company.
Unfortunately, there is such hatred for Walmart by some people that facts don't matter. Heck, in this one story posted in the Pacific thread, someone blamed the truck traffic on the highway as being Walmart traffic...even though the overwhelming majority of trucks have nothing to do with Walmart.
http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/710-corridor/breathing-uneasy-living-along-the-710-freeway-corridor.html
Quote"The communities have been bearing the brunt of industries that use the 710 as a Walmart super highway," (Angelo) Logan said. "They get to the shelves of Walmarts while the people see no benefit, and all they get is the negative impact."
Quote from: Crazy Volvo Guy on June 12, 2014, 05:04:39 AM
Guys, take it from someone who's actually in the industry. Walmart Transportation, LLC. and Walmart Stores, Inc. are two separate and very, very different companies. They are affiliated, and both run from Bentonville, but are in fact separate and and they are run quite differently.
Nobody wants to work in a Walmart store or DC. Walmart truck-driving jobs, however, are highly coveted in the industry, and they have a waiting list a mile long at any given DC. A Walmart driving job is considered to be one of the best truck driving jobs you can get. Walmart Transportation has one of the lowest driver turnover rates in the industry. That speaks for itself.
Walmart tractors do indeed have electronic logs, on which driving time cannot be cheated. And the dispatch will NOT push you to do what you say you can't do, contrary to popular belief. For a week, in November of 2012, I actually ran as a Walmart contract driver. They ran me hard, but never once did they try to push me to exceed my limits - despite the fact that I was on paper logs at the time, and seeing how I was only doing it temporarily, I could not communicate with them over the Qualcomm (so there would have been a "paper" trail) - it was all by phone. My company is also the full-time contract carrier at three DCs (that I know of, although some rumors I've been hearing would suggest that we've picked up a couple more) and I have talked with several drivers who work on those fleets, they report the same - that they are not pushed around by Walmart's dispatch.
This is a case of a driver who simply did not speak up - for whatever reason - that he was not fit to drive that day. I have to agree with H.B. that this one is squarely on the driver, not the company.
Most of us think that they are synonymous anyway the way our minds think just in the same way we often stereotype groups.
Quote from: Crazy Volvo Guy on June 12, 2014, 05:04:39 AM
This is a case of a driver who simply did not speak up - for whatever reason - that he was not fit to drive that day. I have to agree with H.B. that this one is squarely on the driver, not the company.
The fact remains, he was employed by WalMart and was on the job when the crash happened. This may not be a factor in the criminal trial against the trucker, but you can sure bet it will become an issue in the inevitable civil trial.
Preliminary information from the NTSB about the crash. Interesting that the lane closure/construction zone was for overhead sign work.
http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/fulltext/HWY14MH012_preliminary.html
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/tracy-morgan-sues-walmart-deadly-718146 Tracy Morgan is taking action now against the retail giant.
^^^
Which is ridiculous. The driver had observed proper down times but had stayed up on his own. Walmart wasn't responsible for that wreck, the driver was individually.
A company is generally held to be responsible for the actions of its employees while they are acting as agents for the company, even if the employee's actions were insubordinate. To do otherwise is impracticable–say you go to McDonalds, slip and fall on an unmarked wet floor, incur $50,000 in medical bills, and sue. McDonalds says that they told Chris to put the sign out and he didn't. Should they really get out of it because of Chris's negligence? For one thing, even if you are win you are not going to get your $50,000 because Chris makes $7.25 an hour. Secondly, the company is responsible for verifying that its directives are being heeded by its employees (a manager should have checked to make sure the sign was put out).
I would expect Walmart's documented safety practices, and the admission by the employee, to limit damages paid by Walmart, and I am not a lawyer, but I would suspect that Walmart is still liable.
So I guess Walmart has to put a camera in the sleeper area of every truck it has to ensure that the driver is actually asleep instead of surfing pr0n sites or whatever the driver did instead of sleeping that night?
The problem here is you're expecting legal liability to be fair. It isn't.
Someone slams on their brakes for no reason, I rear-end them, I am liable, even though the car in front of me caused the accident. It sucks but that is how it is.
You could argue this should be "fixed", but any "fix" is going to cause problems of its own (if minimum-wage Chris has to pay, the injured party will never see the money).
My problem here is that my brain wants to conflate Tracy Morgan and Tracy Jordan, so I expect a lawsuit not only against Wal-Mart, but also against various celebrities, zoo animals, Burger King, a fifth-grade teacher, and Kabletown.
Follow the money.
Wally World has very deep pockets.
NTSB report on crash - http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/HAR1502.pdf