Country star Mickey Gilley recovering after violent crash on US-59
PASADENA, Texas (KTRK) -- Mickey Gilley is keeping his sense of humor after surviving a violent rollover crash on US-59 near Corrigan.
The country music icon is nursing a broken ankle and fractured shoulder after he and his son found themselves upside down in the median of the highway.
"The air bags didn't deploy," Gilley said. "I don't know if that was a blessing or a curse."
Gilley said his son was driving this Scion northbound on US-59 as they were making their way to his home in Branson, Missouri when another vehicle entered the intersection.
The famed country artist said they swerved to avoid the vehicle and their car flipped repeatedly.
"It was like slow motion," Gilley said. "The unbelievable feeling you get when you know you're going to hit something and there's nothing you can do about it."
Mickey Gilley and son involved in car crash on the way to Branson
He remembers his son cutting him out of his seat belt. He was photographed in his red jacket after he was rescued.
Gilley had some cuts to his head after the crash. His son also had some bumps and bruises from the crash.
This wasn't the first time Gilley has been injured in recent years. In 2009, he was paralyzed from the neck down in a freak accident while helping a friend move a couch. Doctors said he might never walk again. But he did. That didn't stop him and he insists - this wont either.
Gilley also never stopped performing. He topped the charts with 17 No.1 country music hits in the 70's, though he's likely known best for the movie "Urban Cowboy" which launched his music career.
"At 81, I'm very lucky. When I open my shows now, I tell the people I just turned 81, I hope I look like I'm 50. I walk like I'm 90," Gilley said. "So I'm gonna be walking like I'm 100 now, with this boot on my left leg."
Gilley says they are rescheduling this weekend's performance in Greenville, Texas, but he expects to be fine for a performance in Stafford later this month.
He'll turn 82 in March.
