Stevie Wonder is an American singer-songwriter who is a pioneer and influenced by musicians in various genres such as rhythm and blues, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz. Wonder’s use of synthesizers and electronic musical instruments as a virtual one-person band during the 1970s reshaped R&B conventions. But did you know that he was in a coma for 10 days following a freak accident with a logging truck?
Stevie Wonder was a passenger in a car that collided with a logging truck in 1973. When the truck’s load failed and a log struck Stevie in the face, he went into a coma for ten days. His friend, Ira Tucker, was the first to elicit a response from him when she sang “Higher Ground” in his ear.
What Happened During the Accident?
If the birth of a child that would revolutionize the world of music occurred on May 13, 1950, the rebirth of a man blessed by faith in life and love for others occurred on August 6, 1973. Nothing could have predicted that date would profoundly impact Stevie Wonder’s life, but it did.
Stevie Wonder was involved in a car accident three days after releasing one of the best albums of all time, Innervisions. On August 6, 1973, the disc’s promotion began, and after playing in Greeneville, the team members traveled by road to Durham, South Carolina. He was dozing off in the front seat of his cousin John Harris’s 1973 Mercury Cruiser, a Hertz rental car. They were following a truck loaded with logs. Something unexpected caused the driver to hit the brakes, and both vehicles collided, striking Stevie’s head with one of the trunks thrown from the truck.
When the other members of the band, who were traveling in two vehicles behind, saw the scene, they panicked. Stevie Wonder did not respond by profusely bleeding from the forehead and scalp.
He was rushed to the hospital in one of the vehicles, unconscious, with a severe concussion, fearing for his life. He was in a coma for several days there. Many newspapers believed he was dead, while others believed that if he survived, he would suffer irreversible and permanent injuries. The rest of the injured, including his cousin and the driver of the Charlie Shepherd truck, was later transported by ambulance with less severe injuries. (Source: Stevie Wonder)
What Happened to Stevie Wonder After the Accident?
Doctors quickly ruled out the possibility of severe consequences from the accident, with his friend and tour director Ira Tucker receiving the first response from Stevie in his coma.
I remember when I got to the hospital in Winston-Salem, man. I could not even recognize him. His head was swollen until about five, his normal size. Nobody had managed to communicate with him. I knew that he liked to listen to music very loudly and I thought maybe if I shouted in his ear. The doctor told me to try. The first time I did it not receive any response, but the next day I went back and I got right down in his ear and sang Higher Ground. His hand rested on my arm and after a while his fingers began to leave to the rhythm of the song. I said yes! Yeeeeaaah! He’s going to get it!
Ira Tucker, Stevie Wonder’s Friend
He was transferred to Los Angeles, where he began a long and difficult recovery. He realized he’d lost his senses of smell and taste. The latter recovered it, though Stevie’s main concern was whether his musical ability was still intact. (Source: Stevie Wonder)