REO Speedwagon Singer Survives Scary Car Crash After Falling Asleep at the Wheel

Once the lead singer of REO Speedwagon, Terry Luttrell helped the band fashion their first self-titled album. Although seeming to find a groove with the band, he eventually left after having personal differences with the lead guitarist Gary Richrath. After departing, lead vocals transitioned to Kevin Cronin. But even with Luttrell leaving the group, he recently returned for the reunion show called “Honoring the Legacy of REO Speedwagon: A Concert Event – Back Where it All Began.” While enjoying his time on stage with former members, he was apparently involved in a car crash not long after the concert when he fell asleep. 

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Traveling down Interstate 57 on Sunday, Luttrell unexpectedly fell asleep while driving. Unfortunately, he ended up totaling his car. But thankfully, the singer walked away with only a few injuries. Discussing what happened, Luttrell insisted, “It just happened. I nodded off. I rolled the car over, and I woke up and I was in a cocoon [of airbags]. Unfortunately, it totaled the car.”

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Terry Luttrell Blames Autograph Session For Crash

With first responders rushing to the scene, Luttrell was able to crawl from the vehicle, only suffering a cracked sternum. Needing to spend a couple of days in the hospital for observation, the singer was eventually discharged. “I was able to get up and get out of the car. I have a little back pain and neck pain. It’s nothing that can’t be overcome.”

While in good spirits over the horrible incident, Luttrell admitted that long working hours caused him to crash. Like any concert, the singer took some time to meet fans and sign a few autographs. But Luttrell insisted that the session went on longer than he anticipated. And when he went back to the hotel, more fans were waiting for him. “It was just sign-sign-sign.” 

With Luttrell not getting in bed till close to 5:00 a.m., the singer had to get on the road at 7. Having only two hours of sleep, Luttrell could barely keep his eyes open. Thankfully, the incident only led to a hospital visit and nothing worse. 

(Jeff Bradley, 2025)