It's expected to be a long road to recovery for comedian Tracy Morgan, who is likely to stay in the hospital for weeks to come to treat the injuries he suffered in a New Jersey Turnpike pileup on Saturday, the Associated Press reports.
According to AP, Morgan remains in critical condition after having surgery for a broken leg. His spokesman, Lewis Kay, told AP that he was "more responsive" after the Sunday surgery.
The 45-year-old former Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock star also has a broken femur and nose and several broken ribs from the tragic crash, which left two others in Morgan's group in critical condition and one person dead.
Wal-Mart truck driver Kevin Roper of Georgia was charged with one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto, AP notes. There has been speculation as to whether or not the 35-year-old driver had been dozing at the time of the accident, but reports say that he failed to slow down with the traffic, swerving at the last minute to avoid a crash and ultimately slamming into the back of the limo bus that was carrying Morgan; his assistant, 36-year-old Jeffrey Millea; comedian Ardie Fuqua; and Morgan’s close friend and mentor James McNair, also a comedian.
According to the Daily Mail, a Twitter account being linked to Roper allegedly tweeted, "Trying to win more than lose! Driving trucks for a living it's my road move or get hit! #Walmart," before the accident.
Millea and Fuqua are in critical condition. McNair, 62, died at the scene.
"He was one of the first comedians that took Tracy under his wing," Morgan’s ex-wife, Sabina Morgan, told the New York Daily News of McNair, AP notes.
Roper, who turned himself in to the police after the accident, was released on $50,000 bond and placed on administrative leave, AP reports. He is expected to appear in court on Monday.
Wal-Mart has released a statement, declaring that the company would "take full responsibility" for the incident if it is determined that the truck was indeed the cause of the accident.
Read more at the Associated Press and the Daily Mail.