Rick Allen Says Losing His Arm Made Him A Better Person

Def Leppard’s successful drummer Rick Allen joined Joe Rock for an interview in which he stated that losing his arm in the accident encouraged him to become a better person.

On December 31, 1984, Rick Allen experienced a horrible car crash while trying to pass another car at high speed. He hit a stone wall, and his left arm was severed. Although the doctors did their best to save Allen’s arm by reattaching it, they later had to amputate it due to an infection.

Although he lost his arm, Allen really wanted to play drums with Def Leppard. The band then made him a custom drum kit specially designed to help him play drums again by using his left leg instead of his missing arm. Years after the incident, the successful drummer continues to drum for Def Leppard to this day.

Rick Allen has tried to keep a positive attitude, although he battles PTSD. Moreover, losing his arm brought the drummer many mental health issues as well. According to Allen, he still gets anxious when something triggers him, and making art helps him during these challenging times.

After talking about Allen’s forthcoming art exhibit scheduled for November 20 and 21, Joe Rock told the drummer in the interview that his dedication to move on after what he experienced really impresses him. Rock then said he recently learned Allen almost lost his right arm too, which makes it more precious.

Allen said he agrees with Joe Rock but added that the accident only made him stronger. Ultimately, all the horrible things he experienced made him grow a lot as a person. According to the drummer, although it might sound a bit bizarre, experiencing such a trauma made him a better person.

Joe Rock told Rick Allen during the interview that:

“When you talk about inspiration and going both ways, from you to them, from them to you, you are an inspiration. You know, it impresses me beyond belief. All the things that you’ve faced and come out the other side of, and then you add into it that -and you just told me this which I never knew about- you almost were losing your right arm too. And it just makes it that much more.”

Rick Allen then responded:

“It really does. You know, people ask me ‘What would you have done differently if you hadn’t have gone through the accident?’ And that’s a tough question because I think I ended up coming out a bit stronger. And I think I grew a lot. I grew a lot as a person. So, I think the experience itself actually became a blessing which is kind of an odd thing to say. But I think the experience itself actually made me a better person.”

You can watch the full interview below.