An emotional Tracy Morgan spoke with Today’s Matt Lauer for the first time since a 2014 accident in which, police say, the driver of a Wal-Mart delivery truck didn’t see slow-moving traffic and crashed into the back of Morgan’s limousine. The accident, which happened on the New Jersey Turnpike as Morgan and friends were returning from a comedy show in Dover, Del., took the life of Morgan’s friend James “Jimmy Mac” McNair and severely injured two others. Morgan suffered several broken bones and severe brain trauma. He was in a coma for two weeks following the accident.
With tears streaming down his face, Morgan told Lauer that he didn’t remember the accident and didn’t learn of his friend’s death until almost two weeks later when he came out of the coma.
“The last time I saw Jimmy he wrote a joke for me. He wrote a Donald Sterling joke. Two weeks later, when I came out of the coma, my lady told me, ‘We put Jimmy to rest.’”
Morgan told Lauer that the newly reached Wal-Mart settlement has added some peace to his healing process, since he knows that McNair’s family has been financially taken care of as a result of an undisclosed agreement with Wal-Mart.
“I’m happy that Wal-Mart stepped up to the plate in a tremendous way,” he said.
He noted that each day is a struggle and said that he is thankful he didn’t bring his family along during this trip—something he always did—because he doesn’t know if they would have survived.
“I have my good days and bad days. I have headaches and nose bleeds,” he said.
He added: “Bones heal, and the loss of my friend will never heal.”
He assured Lauer that he would be back onstage making people laugh, as he had been doing before that fateful day in 2014. “I’ll get back to making you laugh,” he told Lauer. “I promise you.”
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