He hit the accelerator and the Corvette took off at Indy 500 velocity. Twisted upward curves on their faces as they dangerously edged their Alfa closer to the Corvette, practically trying to push Rick For a brief moment, Rick was window-to-window with the two punks, evil grins growing in The Rick found an openingĪnd pulled up alongside the Alfa. Rick tried to pass the Alfa a couple of times with no luck. He was out for a pleasure cruise, not a game ofĬhicken. Rick's temper started to get the better of him. Once the Alfa Romeo passed them, instead of letting the Stingray just eat The Alfa Romeo brought them out of their reverie - fast. Year's Eve festivities and the brand new year ahead of them. That afternoon, the two of them had nothing on their minds but the gorgeous weather, the promise of some jolly new Miriam was spending the Christmas holidays with Rick's familyīefore she and the twenty-one-year old drummer returned to Holland where he was in the middle of recording a new album with hisīand Def Leppard. To soak up the sunshine and fresh air on the way back to Sheffield. Rick had even opened up the Stingray's sunroof Rick had been out for a pleasant afternoon spin with his girlfriend, Miriam Barendsen, enjoying the lush green glow of theĮnglish countryside west of Sheffield on an unseasonably warm New Year's Eve. Rick Allen had no idea there was another car behind his new Corvette until the Alfa Romeo came roaring past him on a bridge. They didn't see who was actually at the wheel, but they were certain this guy was some kind of jerk.īurning rubber like that in a fancy American sports car that would have cost any decent working-class Englishman over a year's Two men sat in their Alfa Romeo, waiting to make a left turn on to the A57 road to Sheffield, when they saw the shiny black 1984 Corvette Stingray zipīy on the main road. The Accident - Animal Instinct Biography 1987 Quotes Read the story of that day including excerpts from the Animal Instinct biography, 1985 news quotes and a 2007 UK article.Īlso included are photos from the accident aftermath looking away from Sheffield and back towards Sheffield. Sadly local Sheffield electrician Pete Hartley, who designed his first foot pedals, Rick returned to drumming with the band after a new electronic drum kit was developed. Rick managed to recover to play drums again within 3 months of his accident and has continued to be the drummer with Def Leppard to the present day. Rick then left hospital on 29th January 1985 and was back with the band at Wisseloord Studios in Holland on 22nd February. Surgeons managed to reattach the arm but sadly on 4th January 1985 it had to be amputated due to an infection. (Note - Not the people shown in Behind The Music). One of the nurses, Eileen Pierce, later married another of the police officers who attended the scene, Roger Pierce. Luckily a local nurse, another district nurse and a policeman all stopped to help. His seatbelt came undone and took off his left arm as he was thrown through the sunroof. Rick lost control of his left hand drive Corvette Stingray coming off of a sharp left hand turn. Rick was driving back from the Ladybower Reservoir outside of Sheffield, England on the A57 road with girlfriend Miriam Barendsen when he was involved in an accident Read the story of the tragic accident that took away his left arm as told by the band. "It was an unbelievable feeling, an emptiness."ĭef Leppard drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash in Sheffield, England on New Year's Eve 1984. This section looks at the fateful day in 1984 when Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car accident near SheffieldĪnd his subsequent recovery and return to drumming.
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