Would a general brake failure cause the tail lights on my '97 Ram to remain on?

I discovered on my way into town today that I have a brake pad that is worn out and is beginning to hang up after the brakes are released. Just prior to the warning signal about the brakes, my mother-in-law told me that my brake lights were on when I stopped at her house and got out of the truck. Are the two events connected, or do I have a bad brake pad and a bad brake light plunger that both happened to fail at the same time?