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[Dalek]

Tracy Morgan's emotional, triumphant return to 'Howard Stern'

After being critically injured in a devastating multi-car crash in June of 2014 that killed his friend and mentor James McNair ("Jimmy Mack"), few expected Tracy Morgan to return with the kind of vigor he's demonstrated in his return to the spotlight, including an SNL hosting stint last October. Today, Morgan returned to another past haunt: The Howard Stern Show, where during an 80-minute sit-down with the host he movingly chronicled his fight to live and his painful recovery physically, mentally and spiritually...while also showcasing his still-vital talents as a go-for-broke, blissfully unfiltered comedian.

I've heard Morgan on Stern a number of times, and I would argue he's one of the show's greatest recurring guests. But this time around the former 30 Rock star exhibited a piercing humanity we haven't quite seen this extensively from him before; the trauma he suffered has obviously changed him on a profound level, and the tears flowed freely as he expressed both his sadness at losing Mack and his heartfelt gratitude for the love and support his friends, family and the general public have shown during the most difficult chapter of his life.

Early on after the accident, the prognosis for Morgan didn't sound good, so it's pretty amazing just over two years later to hear him in such fine, even superior, form. He remains supremely funny and astonishingly quick-witted, but with the added insight and humanity that comes from suffering such a horrific, life-altering event. While Stern's staff normally posts only snippets of his interviews to the show's official Soundcloud page for non-subscribers, in this case they made an exception, and given the multi-faceted, riveting nature of today's sit-down it's easy to see why:

audio at the link. I'm behind obviously because this was from a few weeks ago, but man I'm listening now and getting choked up.

He was blind-and had no idea if his sight was going to come back.
He was in a coma for 8 days and in a wheelchair for 6 months.
They didn’t tell him his best friend Jimmy had died until 2 weeks later-and the doctors had given him a 2% chance of living

http://radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com/201...dent-cant-yet-forgive-jonesboro-truck-driver/

Actor and comic Tracy Morgan said he considered taking his own life after he was severely injured in a 2014 New Jersey Turnpike accident which killed a close friend.

“I thought about suicide man,” Morgan said on Howard Stern‘s show on Sirius/XM today. “I was that damaged in the hospital man. I didn’t want to live… I was struggling to say words. I couldn’t walk!”

A Wal-Mart truck barreled into his limo bus from behind.

“That crash turned me into an emotional wreck,” Morgan said. “Anybody out there listening, you try to get hit by a truck going that fast with 85,000 pounds of frozen food in the back, watch what it do to you. It’s going to turn you into a wreck.”

He talked about how the Jonesboro Wal-mart trucker Kevin Roper had fallen asleep at the wheel after driving too many hours. Morgan’s mentor Jimmy McNair died.

“You can’t do that,” Morgan said. “It cost my good man his life.”

Stern asked if he could forgive Roper. He isn’t there yet. “I pray to God all the time for the strength to do that,” Morgan said. “I don’t ask for nothing else, just the strength… It was more than the money. It was justice for Jimmy and all those involved.”

 

[Rest]

Didn't he have severe brain trauma? I won't be able to listen to this for a while, but how does he sound? The quoted text seems a little sensationalized, but full recoveries aren't unheard of, I suppose.

 

[Crimson_Echidna]

My uncle was in a similar accident a few years back so my heart goes out to the guy. I do hate how Walmart has thrown the truck driver under the bus though, given how common it is for companies to pressure truck drivers into working insane hours.

 

[Frozenprince]

How's he been looking physically? I know he's had issues walking and moving around so it's good if he's improving.

 

[zero_suit]

Listening now. Thanks.

 

[Dalek]

Didn't he have severe brain trauma? I won't be able to listen to this for a while, but how does he sound? The quoted text seems a little sensationalized, but full recoveries aren't unheard of, I suppose.

He sounds pretty much normal. Which is crazy.

My uncle was in a similar accident a few years back so my heart goes out to the guy. I do hate how Walmart has thrown the truck driver under the bus though, given how common it is for companies to pressure truck drivers into working insane hours.

My uncle was a truck driver and he told me the same thing. It's all about lying on the books.

 

[Rest]

My uncle was in a similar accident a few years back so my heart goes out to the guy. I do hate how Walmart has thrown the truck driver under the bus though, given how common it is for companies to pressure truck drivers into working insane hours.

Walmart runs electronic logs, and trucks go through scales which can pull any driver in for any or no reason at any time on an almost daily basis. What's more, when getting a commercial licence, being trained as a driver, and getting your first job, it is hammered in that you don't go over your hours and you don't drive if you're even a little tired.

Also, knowing some truck drivers who have driven for Walmart, I can say with certainty that even during the Christmas rush season they don't try to get people to go over hours. Even assuming his manager or dispatcher was pushing him to drive illegally, he knew better. It is his fault.

My uncle was a truck driver and he told me the same thing. It's all about lying on the books.

Walmart doesn't use paper logs, they have electronic logs which keep automatic records of when the vehicle is running, has the brakes released, or is moving. They're very hard to falsify, as they keep a record of any changes made to the log.

 

[mugoldeneagle03]

My uncle was in a similar accident a few years back so my heart goes out to the guy. I do hate how Walmart has thrown the truck driver under the bus though, given how common it is for companies to pressure truck drivers into working insane hours.

I've worked in retail most of my life & almost all truck drivers I know/knew were very stern about not driving when they hit their limit, and most said companies were the one so adamant about them not driving. Does Wal-mart not follow the same regulations? If so I'd hang him out to dry too. (Don't know much info on the crash/drivers statements)

 

[Dr.Acula]

Crazy what he went through, I've always loved Tracy as a comedian, his sense of timing and rhythm are top-tier, one of those guys that makes you laugh on the strength of his delivery. I'll be sure to give this a full listen later.

 

[FTF]

Heard it live the day he was on Stern. Great, emotional interview.

 

[TheSeks]

I've worked in retail most of my life & almost all truck drivers I know/knew were very stern about not driving when they hit their limit, and most said companies were the one so adamant about them not driving. Does Wal-mart not follow the same regulations? If so I'd hang him out to dry too. (Don't know much info on the crash/drivers statements)

Wal-mart is about screwing over EVERYONE. Farmers have their produce sit around for like 2-3 days until a truck driver comes. I'm not surprised they push their drivers to the point of blacking out/sleeping on the interstate.

Morgan sued them, but AFAIK they settled because he has lawyers that could've fought them and probably actually won unlike someone poorer where they'd have buried them under litigation to settle for far less.

 

[Rest]

I've worked in retail most of my life & almost all truck drivers I know/knew were very stern about not driving when they hit their limit, and most said companies were the one so adamant about them not driving. Does Wal-mart not follow the same regulations? If so I'd hang him out to dry too. (Don't know much info on the crash/drivers statements)

As shitty as Walmart is, truck drivers are one place where they don't skimp on compensation or safety. Walmart is a giant target for lawsuits, and truck accidents are almost always found to be the liability of the truck driver and their employer, no matter what happened.

Look in a phone book and check out the ads for the ambulance chasing lawyers. They almost all say that they will get compensation for accidents involving commercial trucks, even if it was your fault. Walmart likes money, they're not going to throw it away on nearly unwinnable court cases.





Anyway, this is getting to be off topic. I think I'm done with this little aside.

 

[CreeperBlocks]

Listening to it now. Very Emotional interview.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

Never actually listened to Morgan much, saw him a few times on 30 Rock, but god damn this is insane, feel so bad for him