DEF LEPPARD's RICK ALLEN On Losing His Arm In 1984 Car Accident: 'I Honestly Thought That Was It' For My Drumming Career

During an appearance on "The Greg Hill Show", DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen was asked if he thought he was done playing drums when he famously lost his left arm to amputation after a near-fatal auto accident in England in 1984. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I did. I honestly thought that was it. When I finally realized that I'd actually lost my arm when I came around in hospital, I really didn't wanna be here and I didn't want to see anybody. I think the only person I wanted to see was my brother and my parents, but I just wanted to disappear. I felt so self-conscious. And then a friend of mine, [Robert John] 'Mutt' Lange, our producer, he came in to see me, and he just lifted me up, and he turned my attention to what I could do, whereas I was sort of obsessing on everything that I couldn't do, and he really helped me really dig in and find the power of the human spirit and that's what kind of lifted me out of it."

Regarding the fact that he was able to return to drumming at world-class level with DEF LEPPARD, Rick said: "When I look back now, I realize what that must look like from the outside. But I was very fortunate that all that information of having two arms was in my head, and it was almost like this natural thing. All the information that used to go to my left arm kind of went to the rest of my limbs, so I was able to express myself, even though it was in a in a different way, but I was still able to emulate a lot of the things that I did prior to losing my arm."

Allen also talked about what it has been like to serve as an inspiration to people with disabilities or facing challenges in life in the four decades since he has had to re-learn his drumming skills.

"Well, I have to go back to the early days of feeling defeated and hopefully leading through example and doing what I do, people catch that and hopefully they can dig in and find that part of themselves that is inspired," he said. "And I think any of us as human beings, that's all we need is just the spark of inspiration and just take that to the next level. And I think one of the most important things for me at that time was I stopped comparing myself to how I used to be, and I tried to stop comparing myself to others and embrace the idea of what I was doing or what I was doing is really unique and kind of grabbing a hold of that. Nobody can play the way that I play, so kind of reframing it, and that was a really big help and that helped me get through it."

Allen lost his arm after he was thrown through the sunroof of his car, and his left arm got caught in the seatbelt when it came undone during the crash. As a result, the arm was severed from his body. Initially, doctors reattached the arm but they would eventually have to amputate because of an infection.

After Rick's life-altering accident, he had to relearn how to play drums and drum manufacturer Simmons worked with him to build a kit. His DEF LEPPARD bandmates stuck with Allen through the difficult time and the drummer persevered through an accident that would have ended most people's careers.

Allen spoke about his accident during an interview with Modern Drummer. He said: "I remember coming around in the hospital and then realizing what had happened to me after the accident, and honestly, I wanted to disappear. I didn't wanna do this anymore. And then I started getting these letters from all over the world… I got encouragement from everywhere — from my family, from the guys [in the band], from people all over the world. And I don't know what happened, but I discovered the power of the human spirit and just said, 'You know what? I can do this.' It was really a collective thing. It was all this encouragement I was getting from other people, and then it just manifested in wanting to succeed. And that's exactly where it came from."

Rick also talked about the support he received from his bandmates in DEF LEPPARD who stuck by him through his recovery and waited patiently for his return.

"They left the decision to me, whether I wanted to go on or not, and they gave me time to grow and develop, really, a whole new style [of playing]," Allen said. "And that's all I needed — I just needed the time. I needed the time to build my confidence and realize that I could do it. Nobody ever said, 'Well, you have to make a decision now.' I think that was the most important thing — just that time that they gave me just to find myself."

After visiting the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2006, Allen dedicated himself to helping war veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of sustaining injuries similar to his own.

Allen told ABC News in 2012: "I didn't know what my life would be like after that terrible day. It was the darkest time in my life… My desire is to encourage a support system for warriors, de-stigmatize PTSD, share their stories and offers alternative ways to pave the road to resiliency and health."