RECENT ZZ TOP INJURY PROVES MUSICIANS NEED DISABILITY INSURANCE TOO
According to Rolling Stone magazine, the ZZ Top has called off the remainder of their tour with Jeff Beck due to bassist Dusty Hill being injured. He unfortunately slipped and fell while on their tour bus and hurt his hip. (Rolling Stone, ZZ Top Cancel Tour After Bassist’s Injury, August 28, 2014)
“This accident will hopefully bring awareness to the fact that athletes are not the only ones that need disability insurance policies,” says Frank N. Darras, disability lawyer to the pros.
Other musicians have been injured in various ways both on and off the stage from Beyonce tripping down some stairs at a concert to Steven Tyler falling off the stage a few years ago.* In May, People Magazinereported that Bret Michaels was “violently ill” after he left the stage and was rushed by ambulance to hospital, where doctors determined he was suffering from insulin shock and severe low blood sugar combined with “exhaustion/dehydration/fever and the novo flu virus.” (People, Bret Michaels Suffers Medical Emergency Caused By Flu and ‘Severe’ Diabetes Complications, May 30, 2014)
There are many disappointed rock fans out there after the cancellation of this long-awaited tour: “ZZ Top and Beck have both been on the road all summer, though they joined forces at the beginning of August. The rock staples have long admired each other’s work – previously Beck and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons played together at the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony – and fittingly, the acts closed out each show of this joint tour with a performance together,” (Rolling Stone, ZZ Top Cancel Rest of Tour with Jeff Beck After Bassist’s Injury August 28, 2014).
“Athletes, of course, tend to have the more frequent injuries and thus are in the public eye more often when it comes to disability insurance,” explains Darras. “Unfortunately, they are not the only ones we see in the limelight that need insurance to protect their incomes. A disabling injury or crippling sickness can strike at any moment, even in the music industry. I’ve seen plenty of instances over the years that make me wince and hope they have a disability insurance policy that is paying rich monthly benefits while they recuperate.”
Disability insurance is for everyone, who works for a living and needs income to prevent from suffering financially, should they become injured. Policyholders will be able to collect their benefits until they are able to go back to work. These benefits can help pay for monthly bills like rent and utilities as well as keeping food on the table for their family. Talented policyholders like musicians or athletes tend to tack on an own-occupation insurance rider as an extra way to collect benefits if they are not able to return to their current occupation.
“No matter what job you hold, there is always some chance of a disabling injury or sickness. These disabilities can happen to anyone , so it is in your best interest to prepare for them before you have a need. Contact your insurance agent or a top disability lawyer to help guide you through the world of disability insurance so you can purchase a policy to cover you financially,” says Darras.
Source: VH1.com, FREE FALLING! 10 Musicians Whose On-Stage Wipeouts Were Caught On Video, September 7, 2013