On June 7, 2014, Actor and Comedian Tracey Morgan, James McNair, Jeff Millea, Krista Millea, Harris Stanton, and Ardie Fuqua, were in a limo bus which was struck and overturned by a Walmart tractor-trailer around 1 am. James Mcnair was pronounced dead at the scene. Krista Millea, wife of passenger Jeff Millea, was also pregnant at the time of the crash.
Tracey Morgan suffered a broken leg, broken ribs, along with other injuries due to the crash. He and at least one other passenger were in critical condition immediately following the accident. Tracey Morgan had this message for his fans:
“I want to thank my fans for sticking with me during this difficult time. I love you all. I’m fighting hard every day to get back.”
According to the police, the driver of the Walmart truck did not notice that traffic had slowed down until it was too late. The driver, Kevin Roper, was estimated to have been driving at least 20 miles over the speed limit. Roper pleaded not guilty to death by auto, and assault by auto charges filed by the state of New Jersey. The state is also accusing him of not sleeping for more than 24 hours before the crash, which is a violation of New Jersey law.
Walmart has already settled with the family of James Mcnair. However the retail giant seems to be playing hardball with Tracey Morgan and the other survivors. On July 10 2014, Tracey Morgan filed a suit against Walmart. On September 29, 2014, Walmart filed papers placing blame on Morgan and company for not wearing seat belts on the Limo Bus. Walmart issued the following statement to CNN:
“Walmart is committed to working to resolve all of the remaining issues as a result of the accident. As part of the ordinary course of legal proceedings, Walmart filed an initial response yesterday to the lawsuit that included facts and defenses that may impact the case moving forward. While we were required to respond to the lawsuit, we have also taken steps to encourage settlement discussions. Our thoughts continue to go out to everyone involved, and we remain committed to doing what’s right.”
Okay, so here’s what’s so disturbing about Walmart’s response. It isn’t necessarily that they are trying to mitigate any financial responsibility. Most companies will do that. It’s the fact that the largest retailer in the world doesn’t believe that their profits will be affected by taking such callous actions against the victims. They know that no matter how angry people are, they will still shop at Walmart. This gives the impression that they can do as they please and not worry about public relations.
And for the most part they are correct. The American people will not punish a company who treats people like garbage. It doesn’t matter if those people are employees or even celebrities. I think this story speaks to the unwillingness of the American people to make serious financial statements against corporations who think they are Gods.
This is just one example, in a very long and growing list, of corporate arrogance and their disdain for this country and its people. In the Sci-fi show “Continuum“, corporations collude to cause a major financial crisis that leads to all of the world’s major governments going bankrupt. They then form the “corporate congress” to manage the world. One has to wonder if life may eventually imitate art.
