JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A production company put together a fundraiser Saturday to help out five survivors of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash that left them still dealing with health problems 40 years later.
In October 1977, six people died and 20 people were severely injured in a plane crash. Among those people killed were several members of the rock band with Jacksonville roots, Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Lynyrd Skynyrd was leaving South Carolina and heading to Louisiana when their plane started misfunctioning and crashed in Mississippi.
Chad Reed, with Survivor Film and Productions, said they are doing this fundraiser to help the survivors pay their medical bills and living expenses.
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“A lot of the people that were on the plane weren’t actually directly employed by the band. They were employed by other bands, and some of the people were employed by the band. Back then they didn’t really have the best insurance,” Reed said.
Hundreds of people gathered to listen to several rock bands such as Slickson Revolver and Street Preacher and participated in a silent auction to support a good cause.
Paul Welch worked on the sound for “The Tour of the Survivors” at 23 years old. He lost seven pints of blood. His skull was fractured and suffered other severe injuries.
“I was working for ShowCo, which was at that time assigned to work the Lynyrd Skynyrd Tour,” Welch said. “In the crash, I lost cartilage in both knees and tore ligaments, ability to stand was negatively affected.”
Despite the severe injuries, Welch and the other survivors are happy to still be alive.