Terry Luttrell, the original frontman of REO Speedwagon, has been hospitalized following a serious car crash earlier this week. The 78-year-old musician opened up about the incident, sharing details of the crash and his recovery.
Terry Luttrell injured in car crash
Terry Luttrell was driving to St. Louis for business when the car crashed on Interstate 57. He admitted to nodding off behind the wheel, causing his car to roll over. The crash totaled his vehicle and left him trapped inside the deployed airbags, which he described as a “cocoon.”
Speaking to the News-Gazette, Luttrell revealed that the accident happened following a long night after a special REO Speedwagon reunion concert in Champaign, Illinois. The singer explained that he had been awake until around 4:30 a.m., attending an afterparty and meeting fans. Exhaustion took over while he was behind the wheel.
“It just happened,” Luttrell said. “I nodded off. I rolled the car over, and I woke up, and I was in a cocoon.” That “cocoon,” as he described it, referred to the deployed airbags that saved his life but left him with a cracked sternum.
Emergency responders hauled Luttrell to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, where he is currently being treated for his injuries. He shared that he also has mild back and neck pain but remains optimistic about recovery. “It’s nothing that can’t be overcome,” he said.
Moreover, some of the nurses caring for him were fans who had attended the concert the night before. The show, Honoring the Legacy of REO Speedwagon: A Concert Event, was a rare reunion show that reunited Luttrell with his former bandmates. That concert, held at the State Farm Center, was a symbolic moment for the band, which recently announced it would stop touring at the end of 2024 due to internal disagreements. Terry Luttrell was REO Speedwagon’s frontman from 1968 to 1972 before being replaced by Kevin Cronin.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on ComingSoon.net.
