Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen opens up about recovering from the car crash that took his arm in 1984
Fox News
Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen opened up about the 1984 car crash that changed his life and, in many ways, made him into the artist that he is today.
Speaking to ABC News, Allen explained that, when the car flipped, he was thrown through the sunroof. However, before that happened, his seat belt came undone in the violent crash and his arm ended up getting stuck inside of it. As a result, when he was thrown, his left arm stayed behind.
Fortunately, Allen was determined to continue with his career and his bandmates stuck by him. After relearning to play the drums with one hand, aided by an electronic drum kit that allows foot pedals to do some of the work his left arm otherwise would have, the band went on to record their best-selling album "Hysteria," which included the chart-topping hit "Love Bites."