The Wal-Mart truck driver accused of causing a massive pile-up that badly injured comedian Tracy Morgan had been on the clock for more than 13 hours and was speeding before the wreck, according to a new reported released Thursday.
Kevin Roper, 35, was quickly approaching the limit of 14 hours on the clock — and had been driving for 9 hours and 37 minutes straight — when his tractor trailer rear-ended a limo carrying Morgan and six others on June 7, a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report said.
Investigators also found Roper was doing 65 in a 45 mph zone.
“A preliminary review of the data showed that the Peterbilt . . . was traveling at 65 mph for the 60 seconds preceding the collision with the Mercedes-Benz limo van,” the report said.
The speed limit was reduced from 55 to 45 mph about a half-mile before the crash site because of highway construction, the report said.
Morgan’s pal and fellow comedian James McNair, 63, was killed. Four other people, including the “30 Rock” star, were injured.
Morgan, 45, suffered broken ribs and a broken leg and has remained at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ.
The trucker had not slept for more than 24 hours before the accident, a criminal complaint says.
The NTSB said it was looking into that claim.
“Additionally, investigators are compiling and analyzing information to determine the activities of the Peterbilt combination vehicle driver and the amount of rest he received,” the report said.
Roper, of Jonesboro, Ga., has pleaded not guilty to charges of death by auto and assault by auto in the crash. He could face up to 10 years behind bars if convicted.
The report details Roper’s truck route that day, indicating he picked up the vehicle from a Walmart in Smyrna, Del., and went on duty at 11:22 a.m. on June 6.
He made deliveries and pickups in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania throughout the day, an electronic driver log shows.
At about 12:20 a.m., Roper left a Walmart facility near Bristol, Pa., and was en route to one in Perth Amboy, NJ.
Brooke Buchanan, a Walmart spokeswoman, said, “It continues to be an ongoing investigation, and we’re cooperating fully with law enforcement and the NTSB.”
A post from a Twitter account that appeared to belong to Roper lashed out at the media over the crash. The account, @kevinmoneytalks, has since been deleted.
“So let’s call it what it is. Middle class trucker trying to earn decent honest living has ACCIDENT with FAMOUS rich man’s. Media = HE GUILTY!” the tweet read.