Imagine renting a limousine to spoil your closest friends. You laugh, relax and go home from New York. Then—WHAM—a semi truck hits your van. The next thing you know, you wake up in a hospital bed to the news that one of your dearest friends is gone.

It’s not a nightmare you can wake up from. This is the real life of the horror actress that Tracy Morgan lived on June 7, 2014.

Fatal crash on Jersey Turnpike

Morgan and his friends were heading home from a comedy show when a Walmart truck crashed into their limousine on the New Jersey Turnpike. The impact killed fellow comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair and left Morgan in critical condition.

Investigators later revealed shocking details about the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that the truck driver, Kevin Roper, had been awake for more than 28 hours and was driving 20 mph over the limit. “If the truck driver had been traveling at the posted speed limit in the 45 mph work zone, he could have been stopped before impact,” NTSB investigator David Rayburn said during his review.

Morgan was airlifted to hospital with broken ribs, a broken leg and head trauma. He spent two weeks in a coma and months in rehab learning to walk and talk again.

A long convalescence and a fight for justice

Morgan then sued Walmart, accusing the company of negligence for causing drivers to work dangerously long hours. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount, but Morgan told Yahoo, “Walmart did right by me and my family.”

Meanwhile, Roper was facing criminal charges including vehicular homicide and aggravated assault. He pleaded guilty in 2016 and participated in a pretrial intervention program, allowing him to avoid prison time if he completed 300 hours of community service.

His lawyer, David Glassman, defended Roper’s character, telling Rolling Stone: “He led an exemplary life until this mistake.” But for Morgan, the road to recovery was far from over.

Finding humor and forgiveness

Morgan eventually returned to the spotlight, even using comedy to process the trauma. In his 2017 Netflix special Staying Alive, he joked, “I broke every bone in my face, my ribs.” I pulverized my femur. I was blind for a week. And where I come from, you can’t be blind for a single second!

But as the tenth anniversary of the accident approached, Morgan’s tone changed. Speaking to People earlier this year, he reflected on the tragedy and loss. “I want to say to everyone who was in the van with me that night, I love you,” he said. What about the driver who caused the accident? “My comrades and I forgive you.”

Morgan’s survival was nothing short of miraculous. But even with millions of dollars invested in the colonies and a triumphant return to the spotlight, the scars, both physical and emotional, remain. Morgan summed it up: “I’m happy to be alive. »