At 12:30 AM on Thursday, tragedy struck at South by Southwest in Austin, TX. A suspected drunk driver plowed through a group of pedestrians on a closed-off street while trying to evade police. Then, he apparently sped up, ran over two people on a moped and another on a bike, and hit a taxi cab.
HeadCount’s Director of Artist Relations, Jane Henderson, was in the back of the taxi cab, and sustained three broken verterbrae. She was one of 25 total people injured.
First and foremost, our heart goes out to everyone injured in the incident, as well as their families. We were saddened to just learn that a third fatality has been confirmed.
And we want to thank everyone for their incredible and generous support of Jane.
Bob Weir and RatDog dedicated a version of Bob Dylan’s “Queen Jane Approximately” to her on Friday, and sent over the setlist and video in real time. Our friends from Relix Magazine and DoNYC joined us in a vigil by her bedside in the early hours. And her room filled with flowers and gifts from people all over America.
We are incredibly relieved to report that Jane is already well on her way to a full recovery. While it will be a long and painful rehab, she has been released from the hospital and is headed home to New York City.
HeadCount volunteers set up a Fundly plage to help her out during this difficult time.
https://fundly.com/we-ve-got-jane-s-back
Please share it with friends or consider making a donation. And, even if you aren't able to donate, becoming a "Supporter" of the campaign will help spread the word through your online social network.
Jane, like all HeadCount full-time employees, does have health insurance. But an injury like this comes with myriad other expenses, and we’re all determined that this tragedy does not lead to Jane or her family paying one red cent out of their own pockets.
As of this morning, the fund had already hit 40% of the goal of $25,000. We are all incredibly grateful.
An accident like this puts things in perspective. We are so relieved that she has no spinal cord damage and no other major injuries. And all of us, especially Jane, are moved by the incredible love people have sent her way.
Anyone who has ever met Jane knows that she is a powerhouse young professional on her way to accomplishing incredible things in life. She started with HeadCount as an intern in 2011, and has worked her way up to an incredibly important position at the front lines of all our key relationships with musicians and concert promoters.
At SXSW, she was representing HeadCount at a workshop to assist musicians with their healthcare choices, and also had set up nearly a dozen interviews with artists who had interesting stories to tell about health care and insurance.
She performs her job the same way she tackles life: with diligence, humor and authenticity. We are so proud to call Jane a friend and member of the HeadCount family. With your help, we will see her through this difficult time.
Please help spread the word about the fund: