Before his motorcycle accident in 1988, Gary Busey was known for his successful acting career.
He had a string of notable roles in films such as “The Buddy Holly Story,” for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and “Lethal Weapon.”
On December 4, 1988, Gary Busey was involved in a severe motorcycle accident that left him with a traumatic brain injury.
Gary Busey had just picked up his Harley-Davidson from a shop when he attempted to manoeuvre around a bus and turned too hard, skidded, and hit his back brake, causing him to fly over his windscreen and land directly on his helmet-less head.
The injury required several surgeries and a long recovery period. Busey has since said that the accident had a profound effect on his life and personality and that it changed him in ways that he is still discovering.
It’s not clear what Gary Busey’s normal behaviour was before the accident, it’s a known fact that he had some very public battles with addiction and difficulties on set, but the head injury he suffered from the motorcycle accident changed him greatly and affected his overall behaviour.
He has talked multiple times about how the accident changed his perspective on life and how it changed his brain.