CRANBURY — Sunday marks the one-year anniversary since the accident that claimed one life and critically injured several others, including comedian Tracy Morgan, on the N.J. Turnpike.

Wal-Mart has settled most of the law suits stemming from the crash, including the ones filed by the family of Jimmy McNair, 62, who was killed, and the one filed on behalf of Morgan, Ardie Fuqua, 44, a comic from Jersey City, and Morgan's assistant, Jeffrey Millea, 27, of Shelton, Conn.

In December, Congress changed the regulations regarding how much sleep truckers need to stay on the roads, suspending a regulation that required drivers to take a two-night weekend rest between each work week -- defined as up to 70 hours.

The change was included in the budget appropriations bill.

Kurt Larson, a spokesman for the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration, said a study is underway on behalf of the administration to determine how the change has affected commercial truck drivers. The study results are expected to be released this fall.

The criminal case against Kevin Roper, 36, who was driving the Wal-Mart tractor-trailer that smashed into the limousine in which Morgan and the others were passengers, is still ongoing and has not yet been presented to a grand jury, according to court records.

Roper is charged with one count of vehicular homicide and four counts of assault by auto in connection with the crash. He pleaded not guilty in June 2014 was placed on administrative leave by Wal-Mart.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office declined to comment on Roper, who lives in Jonesboro, Georgia and is free on $50,000 bail.

Morgan, McNair and the others were returning from a performance at Dover Downs Casino in Delaware when the crash occurred shortly before 1 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the Turnpike.

Authorities said the tractor-trailer, driven by Roper, smashed into the back of the limo, killing McNair, of Peekskill, N.Y., and critically injury Morgan, Fuqua, and Millea.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigated the accident, said the truck driver was speeding and had been working more than 13 consecutive hours.

The board's preliminary report said Roper was traveling 65 miles an hour in a 45-mile-an-hour zone before the crash and had logged 13 hours, 32 minutes at the time of the collision.

The agency said the legal limit for a trucker's shift is 14 hours, and noted that Roper was on his way to Perth Amboy, more than 20 miles from Cranbury, where the crash occurred.

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The report said from the time Roper reported for work to the moment of impact, he had been driving a total of 9 hours and 37 minutes.

A report by the State Police said Roper had not slept for more than 24 hours before the crash.

Morgan, Fuqua and Millea spent many months hospitalized and in rehabilitation for their injuries.

They and McNair's two children, who are co-executors of their father's estate, filed suit against Wal-Mart and Roper. All have settled.

Neither Fuqua nor Millea, nor representatives for Morgan returned phone calls for comment on how they are doing a year later.



McNair's children said the past year has been very tough for them, but they are determined to continue his legacy by helping people, especially those who want to perform.

Morgan gave an interview with the "Today" show on NBC this week in which he said he has no recollection of the accident. He said he is still not 100 percent healed.

He suffered head injuries, a broken leg, broken nose and several broken ribs.

Randy Hargrove, a spokesman for Wal-Mart, said Roper, the driver, is still on administrative leave.

Hargrove said the company has not changed any of its policies toward its truck drivers since the crash because "our drivers must meet some of the highest standards in the country."

"Safety is our highest priority," he said. "We're consistently recognized as having one of the safest fleets in the country."

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said he vehemently opposed the changes to the regulations.

"We wouldn't consider rolling back FDA food safety regulations during an E-Coli outbreak," Menendez said. "We wouldn't consider dropping EPA protections in the wake of contamination that poisons our water supply. We owe the families who have lost loved ones to do everything in our power to make our roads safe-to ensure that the senseless tragedy they suffered will not be repeated and repeated."

The senator said truckers "deserve to have a reasonable work schedule, and more importantly, everyone deserves to have safe roadways."

Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.