Tracy Morgan Tells Barbara Walters How He Recovered From the Deadly Car Crash That Left Him in a Coma
— -- Tracy Morgan says he can’t remember what happened the night of the car crash that killed his friend comedian Jimmy Mack and left Morgan in a coma.
"I don't remember any of it. And my doctor said, 'You don't want to remember any of it,'" Morgan said in an interview with Barbara Walters for the ABC News special, "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2015."
On June 7, 2014, Morgan and three other passengers were on their way home to New Jersey after a comedy performance at a Delaware casino when a Walmart tractor-trailer crashed into their van. Morgan's friend, comedian Jimmy Mack, was killed.
"The pain of losing my friend will always be there. I know he's in a better place," Morgan said.
After the accident, Morgan had broken bones, a brain injury and was in a coma for eight days.
"The first night it happened, my wife got to the hospital, and the doctors told her, 'We don't know if he's coming out of this coma,'" Morgan said. "But when I first came out of the coma, I was blind for a week."
Morgan spent five months in a wheelchair, undergoing therapy for his brain and body. Still recovering from the accident, Morgan was unable to attend the "Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" in February.
"Sitting home, I think the lowest point got for me when I wasn't at the 40th anniversary, and I knew I couldn't be there. I wasn't ready," said Morgan.
When he finally was ready, Morgan made his comeback hosting "Saturday Night Live" in October. He will soon be heading back on the road with his new comedy tour, "Picking up the Pieces," which starts in February.
Morgan said he is completely satisfied with the Walmart accident settlement and that Jimmy Mack's family was fairly compensated. "Walmart took full responsibility for the accident, which we greatly appreciate," Morgan's attorney Benedict Morelli said in a statement about the settlement.
"While we know there is nothing that can change what happened, Walmart has been committed to doing what's right to help ensure the well-being of all of those who were impacted by the accident. We worked closely with Mr. Morelli, and we are pleased to have reached an amicable settlement that ends this litigation. We are deeply sorry that one of our trucks was involved," Greg Foran, Walmart U.S. president and CEO, said in a statement about the settlement.
"I survived that crash for a reason. I'm still here for a reason. I guess my room wasn't ready," Morgan said. "Who knows? Maybe he kept me here to raise my daughter, to raise my family."
