Help Scott Make Music Again

My brother, Scott Moyer, 69, was in a horrific automobile accident on March 21 in which he nearly lost his life.  He was driving from his home in Camarillo, CA, to where he works teaching drums, piano and guitar in LA. It was pouring rain in the early afternoon. He had already driven 50 miles in the rain without any incident and had only 2 miles left before he would reach the studio. He was going a leisurely 35 MPH on Sunset Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades when his rear tires hit an oil slick, froze, and he lost complete steering control of his Toyota Camry. The car swerved into the oncoming traffic lane and was whipped across the road where it violently struck an electrical pole on the driver’s side. His body was pinned between the buckled door and the steering wheel.


Three fire trucks, police and ambulance arrived at the scene within minutes. First responders used the Jaws of Life to cut him out of the car. They had to cut his clothes off to check for injuries. He was stabilized and rushed to UCLA Emergency Trauma Center.  After fourteen tests, x-rays, MRIs and CT scans, it was determined that he thankfully had no internal or life-threatening injuries. He had a fractured left hand and a fractured left leg and damaged ligaments in his neck and back, threatening his spinal cord. Doctors told him if his ligaments do not heal properly, he will need surgery.  He also had a huge gash from his little finger down to the bone in his left hand.

So, basically he has no use of his left hand (he is left handed), he cannot put any weight on his left leg, his back is fragile, and he is still shaken and numb from the incident. They fit him with a temporary cast on his left hand/arm, a boot cast on his left leg, and a neck brace, which he must wear all the time. In two weeks, he will be put in permanent casts which he must wear for 6 weeks.

So picture this: he is over 50 miles from home, has no clothes, no car, no wallet, no house keys, and the UCLA hospital social worker tells him, “You were in a terrible accident. You survived. Now be on your way; you can’t stay here any longer.  We need the space.” That was at 3:00 in the morning after he had been in the ER for over 9 hours. Where, pray tell, is he to go at 3:00 in the morning and in that condition? I am shocked and outraged at that treatment! But I thought it was important to tell you this so you get some idea of what adding insult to injury really means!  They did not even give him water to drink while he was there for 9 hours.  On the other hand, Scott said the first responders and doctors and nurses at UCLA hospital were excellent. 

Fortunately, Scott was able to reach his best friend when he became coherent enough to use the phone, and his friend came immediately and brought clothes.  His friend helped him hobble out to his car.  Scott’s car had been towed to a police impound lot which was not opening for several more hours.  When it finally did open, the police would allow only one person to enter the lot. Here it is still pouring rain, Scott can barely move so he can’t go out to get things out of his car by himself, and his friend doesn’t know exactly what to get out of the car. There was no waiving of the “rules.” So ultimately his friend goes to the car and takes a bag and puts into it everything he can find in the car. No one can get into the trunk because the key is stuck in the ignition and the trunk is jammed, so the items in the trunk will have to stay there until the trunk can be pried open. And for every day the car stays in the impound lot, he will be charged $120.00. He has notified his auto insurance company of the accident.

Scott has been home, now, for one night. Another good friend drove out to take him some crutches. He is beginning to feel the secondary surge of pain that comes from being in such a horrendous crash. His entire body is swelling and in pain; he is suffering from inflammation, especially his shoulders and back.  He is having difficulty swallowing, can’t move his neck and can’t walk without pain, and he can’t move the fingers on his left hand. He is experiencing vertigo when he stands. Since he lives by himself, it is nearly impossible to take care of the little things most of us take for granted, like bathing. Additionally, it is difficult to sleep.

I’d like to tell you about my brother. He is one of the kindest people you will ever meet.  He is a loyal friend to all who know him.  He has a great sense of humor, always finding a way to make people laugh and “keeping it light.” He was always an athlete. He played all sports and excelled in soccer, tennis, and water skiing/jumping. He learned to play the drums before he was a teenager. He played in bands all during his high school years in Hong Kong and college years at the University of North Carolina, and over the years has honed his skills on the piano and guitar. He has never used drugs and drinks very little alcoholic beverages. He is committed to educating people of all ages about music and how to play these three instruments. He has also taught people how to improve their singing voices. Unfortunately, LA is a city of a million talented musicians, so having enough students to consistently make a decent living has been a challenge. But Scott, an excellent teacher, has always been up to that challenge and has found a way to eke out a living in LA, where all his friends are.  He has always been frugal with his money and has never been late paying his bills.


Now that he does not have a car and can barely move, he cannot teach -- and for the first time in his life he will be unable to pay his bills.  He is understandably distraught about the state he currently finds himself in.  What’s more, he has no idea how long it will take him to recover or if his current students will stay on with him without instruction for months. His injuries could adversely affect him and his teaching career for years to come. Because of the vocation he chose, he anticipated he would have to work all his life, but this freak accident has left him wondering about his future.

Scott has health insurance through the Affordable Healthcare Act marketplace, but we are certain it will not cover everything. He is very grateful for whatever support you can provide to help him over this rough patch and literally get him back on his feet so he can make music again. Donations will go toward monthly expenses until he can be at full earnings capacity, a used car, possibly a rental car, and medical bills. His rehab and re-establishing his business may take months. I will be passing to him all funds donated so he can access them as soon as possible. He will also be very grateful for any assistance transporting him to and from doctors’ appointments. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your love and support.