REO Speedwagon Singer Terry Luttrell Injured in Car Crash After Falling Asleep at the Wheel

Published: June 18, 2025

REO Speedwagon singer Terry Luttrell, 78, miraculously survived a car crash on Sunday, June 15, after falling asleep at the wheel.

The accident occurred just one day after REO Speedwagon played a farewell show at the State Farm Center in Illinois, where current and former members of the rock group gathered.

Luttrell revealed that he "totaled" his car and suffered injuries, including a cracked sternum and back and neck pain. "I was able to get up and get out of the car," Luttrell told The News-Gazette. "The airbag went off and cracked my sternum a little bit. I have a little back pain and neck pain. It's nothing that can't be overcome."

According to Luttrell, he was headed to St. Louis for business and didn't get a lot of sleep before getting behind the wheel. He had also been signing many autographs for fans, saying "it was just sign-sign-sign."

Luttrell went to bed at 4:30 a.m. before heading back out on the road a few hours later. While he felt "a little bit sleepy" during the drive, he didn't think much of it. "It just happened," said Luttrell. "I nodded off. I rolled the car over, and I woke up and I was in a cocoon (the airbags)."

Luttrell was taken to the Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Ill. after the incident.

Background

Luttrell joined REO Speedwagon in 1968, replacing Mike Blair as a vocalist. However, he left the band in 1972 and was replaced with Kevin Cronin.

In September 2024, REO Speedwagon announced that the band would stop touring in 2025 due to "irreconcilable differences" between frontman Cronin and bassist Hall.

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