Benefit planned Sunday for crash victims
By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
A benefit to raise money to help two men injured in a car crash is set to start at noon on Sunday, Feb. 19, at Lindey’s on Beulah, W1340 Beach Road, East Troy.
The “For the Love of Music” benefit is for local musicians Don Wiggins and Geoff Howard who were injured in a car crash while traveling to Florida at Christmastime to perform.
While on the interstate, they were hit by a car traveling the wrong way.
Both men were taken to the hospital where they spent hours in a local trauma center. Wiggins, who driving their car, had a right distal radius fracture which required surgery.
“We were on our way to Florida for a gig and we got hit by a guy going the wrong way down the freeway,” Wiggins said. “It was Christmas night.”
Wiggins said both he and Howard had performed in the Geneva Lake area on Christmas Eve, he at The Ridge and Howard at The Abbey.
“We left directly from there and were driving straight down to Florida,” he recalled. “At about 10 p.m. on the Florida turnpike, somewhere before Orlando I think, I saw some swerving up ahead of me so I started to slow down. Then I saw two cars fly up in the air, so I began to pull over to the right and a guy came spinning off a car he hit and he hit me.
“I spent time in hospital. They put a plate in my wrist, it was fractured in three places, and I’m still recovering from this.”
Wiggins is unable to work at this time with no guarantee of when or if he will be able to return. He said the injury is a major setback for him and his family.
Wiggins and his wife, Marni, and their 2-year-old daughter, Ellie Rose, live in Mukwonago.
“I’m not supposed to even try to play the guitar until some time mid-March or April and who knows if I’ll ever be the same again,” he said.
Unfortunately, the person who struck the musicians was underinsured and because the five-car accident ended in one death, that person’s family will receive the majority of the insurance money, benefit organizers stated in a press release. It is expected that with the surgery, hospital stay, months of physical therapy, Wiggins’s bills will exceed $200,000. In addition, both men lost their musical instruments as well as a number of miscellaneous personal items.
While Howard, of East Troy, suffered minor injuries and still has some pain in his back from the crash, he said he will be playing at the benefit to help his friend.
“The benefit is primarily for Don,” Howard said. “I think if we reach a certain amount maybe there will be some to help me out, but this really if for Don. I’ll be playing in and out the whole night. I’ve played a bunch with these guys in the past and I want to do everything I can to help Don out.”
Several area musicians and bands are scheduled to perform on Sunday, including the Dan Harvey Band, featuring Kris Crow and Joe Hite; Off the Hook, Hello Dave, Aj Wetzel Band; Joe Wray; Peter Neumar, Andy Carroll, Alison Helf and others.
Sunday’s fundraiser will feature games, food, drinks, a silent auction and raffles. Donations are being accepted in both monetary or auction/raffle item form.
Cash or check donations may be made to First Citizens Bank under “For the Love of Music.”
Items for silent auction/raffle may dropped off at Lindey’s on Beulah after 4 p.m. Monday through Friday or after 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Raffle/auction items must be dropped off by Feb. 15.
For more information, contact John Finney at johncfinney@gmail.com.
