Tracy Morgan Transferred To Rehab Center
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Comedian Tracy Morgan has been transferred to an undisclosed rehabilitation center as he continues to recover from the serious injuries he suffered in a crash.
Morgan, 45, broke his femur, nose and several ribs when police said the limo van he was in was struck by a tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike June 7.
Morgan will remain in the rehab center for the next few weeks.
"He still has a long way to go," his publicist said in a statement Friday. "He and Megan wanted to publicly express their deepest gratitude to everyone at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for the unbelievable care and attention they provided him."
Tracy Morgan Transferred To Rehab Center
Morgan's friend and fellow comedian James McNair was killed and two other passengers were seriously injured in the crash. Funeral services for McNair were held last Thursday.
Web Extra: NTSB Preliminary Report On The Crash, With Photos
A preliminary report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board said Walmart truck driver Kevin Roper was speeding at the time of the crash.
According to the criminal complaint, Roper operated the truck "without having slept for a period in excess of 24 hours resulting in a motor vehicle accident."
Extra: Read The Complaint
Federal regulations allow truck drivers to work up to 14 hours a day with a maximum of 11 hours behind the wheel. Drivers must also have at least 10 hours off between work shifts to sleep.
The NTSB report said Roper had logged just over 13.5 hours on the job at the time of the crash.
Meanwhile, the Senate is considering a resolution that would allow truckers to work up to 80 hours per week. Sen. Robert Menendez says that's like working two full-time jobs.
"But the difference is you've got a multi-thousand pound vehicle in your hands which can be used inadvertently as a weapon," he told WCBS 880's Levon Putney.
The Teamsters Union has also urged Congress not to ease laws that limit truck drivers to 60 to 70 hours of work a week.
"The NTSB's preliminary findings in this case clearly show that truck drivers are pushing beyond the limits of the current hours of service rules,'' Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa said.
Roper has been charged with death by auto and assault by auto. He has pleaded not guilty.
A death-by-auto conviction carries a five- to 10-year prison sentence. Each of the four assault-by-auto charges is punishable by up to 18 months in prison.
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