REO Speedwagon alum Terry Luttrell feels 'blessed' to have walked away from a terrifying car rollover crash this past weekend, according to his drummer Michael Mesey. In an exclusive update provided to DailyMail.com, Mesey - who makes up part of the REO Classics Band with Luttrell - says his bandmate will now be undergoing physical therapy as he recovers from the incident.
Luttrell, 78, fell asleep at the wheel on Sunday morning and his drummer revealed his bandmate now feels fortunate for the airbags which helped save his life. 'I spoke to Terry this morning and he is going to be doing physical therapy for a couple weeks and is looking forward to getting back to performing all the REO Classics,' Mesey (pictured) told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'He is very blessed to have walked away from this accident, mainly a blessing from God and the airbags in his BMW. Terry is in great spirits and thankful for all of the love and prayers from everyone around the country.'
Mesey and Luttrell are among two of five members making up the REO Classics Band, which performs tracks that include REO Speedwagon's hits. Mesey has previously served as a drummer for the band Head East and the late Chuck Berry. Luttrell rolled his vehicle after he fell asleep at the wheel on Interstate 57 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois on Sunday morning, according to the News-Gazette. The airbag deployed during the crash, causing Luttrell to sustain a cracked sternum.
Luttrell described the horror incident in a phone call with the outlet from his hospital bed, revealing he awoke from the crash surrounded by the airbags. The crash occurred following a long night which saw Luttrell perform at the State Farm Center with his band followed by autograph-signing at an afterparty. Luttrell left the party at 2AM and didn't get to bed until 4:30AM. But his rest was short-lived, as he was back driving just a few hours later, with the keyboard player from REO Classics following him on the road.
While Luttrell admitted to feeling 'a little bit sleepy', he believed he would be fine to drive. 'It just happened,' the rocker said. 'I nodded off. I rolled the car over, and I woke up and I was in a cocoon (the airbags). Unfortunately, it totaled the car.' Luttrell was taken to the hospital and plans on remaining there for several more days to undergo rehab. 'I was able to get up and get out of the car,' he told the outlet.'The airbag went off and cracked my sternum a little bit. 'I have a little back pain and neck pain. It's nothing that can't be overcome,' he added.
As fate would have it, several of the nurses who cared for him attended his Saturday night concert. Luttrell said the concert 'was a good show all the way around.' REO Speedwagon's origins date back to 1966 when future bandmembers Neal Doughty and Alan Gratzer met as students at the University of Illinois, according to WCIA. The band officially formed the following year after Doughty found the name of their group written on the blackboard of a class he took, WCIA reports.