Last day of the year! As we get ready to move forward with 2016, let’s look back at an incident that changed the life of a musician. It was 1984, and Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen and girlfriend Miriam Barendsen were headed to a New Year’s Eve party at his family’s home. When he attempted to pass someone in a Jaguar at a high rate of speed, Allen lost control of his Corvette Stingray and hit a stone wall, before coming to rest in a field. His girlfriend only suffered minor injuries. Because his seat belt wasn’t fastened properly, he was thrown from the car, and in doing so, his left arm was severed. Doctors were able to reattach it, but amputated it again after it got infected. With encouragement from his fellow band members and a custom set of drums made by Simmons, Allen was able to return to drumming in 1986. He uses a set that utilizes foot pedals to play what he used to with his left arm. Today, we honor the hard work and perseverance of Rick Allen.