Killer Dwarfs frontman Russ Graham has described the moment he feared who would die following a horror road crash.
The Canadian band were returning home after a 25-date tour when their vehicle was involved in a pile-up in Indiana, USA, on May 26.
Graham suffered severe head injuries and was airlifted to hospital. While being treated at the roadside, he admits he feared he might not make it as he listened to paramedics discuss his condition.
He remained conscious throughout and says he started thinking about his friend Paul Hackman – the Helix guitarist who died in a car crash in 1992.
Graham tells One On One With Mitch Lafon: “There was a split second where I was going ‘This could be the end, on a highway in Indiana.’ You think of all the miles you’ve done and I think of all the people I know who have been in bands and been in accidents. You think of Paul from Helix, and he didn’t make it.
“It was about 1.30pm on a perfectly clear day, sun shining. I was reading a book in the back of the truck. The next thing you know we were in a multi-car pile-up.
“There was road construction and a bunch of cars stopped dead or tried to swerve in. I just remember the impact. My head hit something and I split an eight-inch gash on the left side of my head and my skull was open and bleeding everywhere. My skull was exposed.
“Next thing I knew I was in a ditch with the guys over the top of me. I was bleeding and I was laying there asking them ‘how bad is it?’ They didn’t sugarcoat it, they said ‘it’s bad, it’s not good.‘”
Graham says his blood pressure was dropping rapidly, leading to concern among the medics on the scene. He adds: “It goes through your mind, you might die. When it’s a head injury like that they are concerned that you’ve injured your brain or cracked your skull. That’s what I was getting from them. They wanna stop the bleeding but they’re worried about putting pressure on it.”
A brain scan showed no serious internal injuries and after being given 25 stitches, Graham is recovering at home.
He says: “I’m good. I’m above ground and I’m happy to be alive.”
The Killer Dwarfs have shows planned for later this month and next month, for which Graham says he should be fit.
