What Are Some Facts Surrounding Barbara Mandrell’s Auto Accident?
Country music singer Barbara Mandrell suffered serious injuries in a head-on collision on Sept. 11, 1984, including a broken leg and a concussion. The 19-year-old driver of the other car was killed when his car crossed the center line and hit the car driven by Mandrell.
Two of Mandrell’s children were passengers in the car, but both escaped serious injury. Mandrell had instructed them to buckle their seat belts just prior to the accident.
Her injuries required a lengthy rehabilitation and recovery period, during which she suffered confusion, memory loss and speech problems. Her inability to work resulted in her suing the family of the driver who caused the accident. She did not want money from them but had to go through the motions of litigation in order to collect her insurance. She informed the family of this through her attorney, but her popularity declined due to the public’s misunderstanding of the situation.
