Leon Wilkeson, the bass player of Lynyrd Skynyrd – arguably the most popular and influential Southern rock band of all time – survived the infamous plane crash of October 20, 1977, that killed Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister vocalist Cassie Gaines.
When he was rescued from the crash, Wilkeson was lucky to be alive; he had a closed double fracture of his left leg, six broken ribs (one of which punctured his left lung), dislodged teeth, and a left arm that had been so badly broken that doctors were considering amputating it. And to make things worse, swamp water contaminated his open wounds.
