Indie Musician Suffers Disabling Stage Accident & Needs Your Help!

Date: Apr 10, 2008

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http://www.Cookiecuttergirl.com



“Cookie Cutter Girl” 21st century Pop Superhero here, hoping *YOU* can be MY HERO today! This 'Pop Superhero' performed at a well known club in 2006 and suffered severe injuries due to the negligence of the soundman who set up the stage. I have not been able to sing or play guitar since that accident, and have been disabled for the past 19 months in many other ways as well. I'm writing to request YOUR HELP. I’m not asking for any handouts, just a few minutes of your time in responding. Everything and anything you remember may be helpful, so, please do not leave anything out simply because you think it might not be relevant.

I just discovered that the *3 COMPRESSION FRACTURES in my neck are much more serious than originally thought and can ONLY be helped with dangerous spinal surgery. (*suffered when my head whiplashed off the stage floor) They can never repair my neck completely, so I will be left, if I survive the surgery, with limited neck mobility. But, if I don't have the surgery, I risk my neck discs slipping suddenly and cutting into my spinal cord, leaving me paralized from the neck down, as they are very loose now & pressing on my spinal cord. I suffered 3 MORE COMPRESSION FRACTURES in my upper back, where my medal guitar pedal wedged into my spine. These are not repairable, and I must live with the pain for the rest of my life. SO, I need this favor from you, my fellow musicians, and all those who love and care for you:

Please contact me with ANY INFORMATION about liability for injuries incurred on stage due to negligence of the stage set up. Just reply to GirlPower@CookieCutterGirl.com, listing anything you remember at all, whether it’s something you read or saw about laws governing stage performers. If something happened to you, or someone you know, tell me the details of the accident and where it happened. Since I am NOT an official “employee” of the club, I am NOT covered under their workers compensation or general employee laws. I believe that my fellow musicians *THINK* they’re protected, in case of accident or injury, each time they perform on stage, even when they are forced to use the club’s equipment and soundman. Since my accident, I have not been able to *PROVE* that the club is actual responsible for my injuries incurred directly because of their stage set up. That is where *YOU* CAN HELP… I REALLY appreciate the time it will take you each to respond. YOU are each my “SUPERHEROES” for doing so!

This Pop Superhero made SURE to warn the band that followed us of the dangerous stage set up. They were all setting up their instruments, and, just before I went to the ER, I made sure to tell the sound man, who was on stage next to their lead singer at the time, to remove the hazard that caused my accident. My manager came back in to take 1 photo of the stage during their first song, and the hazard was GONE in the picture. When I emailed the band to inquire about it, they said they had removed it themselves. Even *after* I TOLD the soundman that it was a hazard, he left it for a fellow musician to remove himself. (*Then the bartender refused to give my manager any ice for the 6 compression fractures in my back, claiming he didn't have anything to put it in. My manager angrily emptied one of my bags & damanded the bartender fill it with ice.)

In my particular case, the bar employees were VERY negligent in setting up our stage (The soundman was a ½ late to soundcheck all 4 bands, so he only soundchecked one instead). They also didn’t offer to stop my show, or offer to take care of me in any way after my fall, going as far as to refuse to give us any ice for the 6 compression fractures in my back. In addition, they neglected to remove the stage hazard, even after it caused my accident AND I identified it to them. If ANYONE remembers anything at all, or nothing at all, being said or done, it will be helpful in getting the bar to help pay my medical bills. This accident has left me permanently disabled, and that bar refuses to even accept any of the letters from my lawyer. The bar refuse to acknowlege that ANYTHING happened at all, and their current insurance company claims they didn’t represent that bar at the time of my accident. This tells me that they may NOT have had any insurance at all AND they may lie in court and say that my accident did not occur on their stage. Yet, I suffered disabling injuries on their stage that night, and I lost my career because of it. My life still remains in the hopefully skilled hands of my spinal surgeon.

All I'm asking from everyone reading this post is to take a few minutes of your day to reply to GirlPower@CookieCutterGirl.com with any stories, memories and/or legal information you may have.
Then, and this may prove to be the most important part, PLEASE COPY & PASTE THIS POST to each of your bandmates, your mailing list, your internet forums, your BLOGS and your YAHOO GROUPS. This Pop Superhero’s mission statement has always been “STRENGTH THROUGH UNITY.” To that end, I have provided a FREE MUSIC DIRECTORY at http://www.CookieCutterGirl.com since 1998. Now, I’m truly hoping that the GOOD KARMA I have stored up with come back to help me in the form of your response.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Julian aKa Cookie Cutter Girl (http://www.CookieCutterGirl.com)