Def Leppard's Rick Allen Details Violent Attack in First Interview Since Incident

etonline.com:

Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen is feeling grateful.The 59-year-old rocker, whose left arm was severed in a 1984 car crash, was attacked in March while on tour in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.According to a police report released by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department at the time, Allen was smoking a cigarette in the valet section outside the Four Seasons Hotel when the assailant struck the dummer «at a full run,» knocking Allen backward and causing him to hit his head on the ground.

In an interview on , Allen described hearing a couple of steps and seeing a dark flash before being on the ground. «I reach my hand up into the air because I thought I was going to get attacked again and I just said, 'I am no threat to you,'» Allen described. «I don't think he knew who I was, but he must have seen that I wasn't a threat because, you know, I've only got one arm.»Allen instantly felt gratitude for his «amazing» wife, Lauren Monroe, and «incredible» family.As he put it, «I… just started thanking a higher power for the fact that I'm still here.»Following the incident, Allen issued a statement thanking the public for the «overwhelming support.»«Your love and prayers are truly helping,» Allen shared. «My wife Lauren [Monroe] was thankfully not with me at the time of the incident.

We are together now, and working on recovering in a safe space.»«We ask you to join us in our effort to move from confusion and shock to compassion and empathy,» the statement continued. «We understand this act of violence can be triggering for so many people.