Menu Close

Who had the accident Jan or Dean?

Who had the accident Jan or Dean?

Jan Berry
It was 54 years ago Sunday (April 12th, 1966), that Jan Berry of Jan & Dean suffered a horrendous car crash that left him brain damaged and severely handicapped for the rest of his life. Berry was speeding on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and crashed his Stingray into a parked truck.

What were Jan Berry’s injuries?

The creative force in the early 1960s hit-making duo Jan and Dean, Berry suffered serious brain injuries one morning in 1966 when he lost control of his speeding Corvette and slammed into the back of a parked truck.

Was Jan Berry a genius?

One of ten siblings, he was the son of an electrical engineer and a homemaker. At that time, schools recorded students’ intelligence quotients (IQs), and Berry’s IQ was tested at well over 150. With 100 being average, he was regarded as a genius.

Did Jan Berry get drafted?

Jan was never drafted: He wrecked his car and very nearly killed himself just before he was scheduled to serve. He remained in a coma for months, and only gradually was the extent of the damage known. Jan’s idea of a joke, even after the accident, was lying down beside a highway and pretending he had been hit by a car.

Is Jan Berry still alive?

Deceased (1941–2004)
William Jan Berry/Living or Deceased

What happened to Jan Berry’s Corvette?

In April 1966, the successful career of California’s surf-pop musical duo called “Jan and Dean” came to a halt when Jan Berry’s Corvette Sting Ray car crashed into an unexpected parked truck going 90 MPH while on his way to a business meeting.

When did Jan Berry have a car accident?

On April 12, 1966, Berry received severe head injuries in an automobile accident on Whittier Drive, just a short distance from Dead Man’s Curve in Beverly Hills, California, two years after the song had become a hit.

When did Dead Man’s curve happen to Jan Berry?

The story of “Dead Man’s Curve”, made famous in the Jan & Dean song, ironically came true near this site on April 12, 1966, when singer Jan Berry had a near-fatal car accident here. Jan was on his way to a business meeting when he crashed his Corvette into a truck parked on Whittier Drive.

How did Jan Berry of Jan and Dean get injured?

He is the Jan of Jan & Dean. Suffered severe brain damage and paralysis in a car wreck in 1966 but recovered well enough to resume performing with partner Dean Torrence in the 70s, 80s and 90s. The car wreck, in which Berry was injured severely, happened on April 12, 1966.

How long was Jan Berry in a coma?

He also had separated from his girlfriend of seven years, singer-artist Jill Gibson, later a member of the Mamas & the Papas for a short time, who also had co-written several songs with him. Berry was in a coma for nearly two months; he awoke on the morning of June 16, 1966.