REO Speedwagon Rocker Seriously Injured After Car Crash

REO Speedwagon’s Terry Luttrell is recovering after a rollover car crash.

The 78-year-old singer, who replaced vocalist Mike Blair in the “Can’t Fight This Feeling” band for a four-year span between 1968 and 1972, told The News-Gazette that he was injured in a June 15 crash after falling asleep at the wheel.

Luttrell told the publication that one day after reuniting with current and former members of REO Speedwagon for a farewell show at the State Farm Center in Illinois, he was on the road to St. Louis for business with not a lot of sleep under his belt.

Having been up until 4:30 a.m. signing autographs for fans, Luttrell shared that he felt “a little bit sleepy” during his drive, but didn’t think much of it. “It just happened,” the musician recalled. “I nodded off. I rolled the car over, and I woke up and I was in a cocoon [of airbags]. Unfortunately, it totaled the car.”

After the crash, Luttrell was taken to the Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Ill. “I was able to get up and get out of the car,” the rocker shared of his injuries. “The airbag went off and cracked my sternum a little bit.” He added, “I have a little back pain and neck pain. It’s nothing that can’t be overcome.”

While being treated at the hospital, Luttrell was tickled to learn that some of the nurses had attended the REO Speedwagon concert the night before. “It was exactly what we thought it was going to be,” he told the outlet of the historic concert. “It was a one-off concert that will never happen again. To say that you were there was a pretty big thing.”

Following Luttrell’s initial interview, the musician’s daughter, Kristin Hope, shared an update on GoFundMe as she asked for help paying for his “hefty bill” for medical care and “out of network” costs.

Hope wrote that while Luttrell is “stable and alert,” he has “some internal damage that’s going to need more long term care to get back to his usual self.”

“Being 78 and receiving these injuries can be difficult to bounce back from and he will need more care and time than someone younger would,” she wrote. “Along with his ER visit and hospital stay, he’s going to require at least a couple weeks of in-patient rehab for the fractures in his back, neck, and sternum. He also sustained damage to his brain and heart that need to be monitored.”

“Our family is so thankful that he’s still here and realize how the situation could’ve ended differently for all of us,” Hope continued. “We’re asking for prayers of healing and comfort. We thank you for the support.”