Concert to benefit local man
Proceeds from Bitter~Sweet show at The Waterhole to help injured motorcyclistBy EMILY HUNKLER, Enterprise Staff Writer
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SARANAC LAKE - In August, Eric Thompson, 25, of Lake Clear, gathered scrap metal to help fund his motorcycle trip to the Hamptons for a friend's bachelor party. This Saturday, a special concert will collect money to help him cope with the loss he experienced that weekend.
On Aug. 23, while he was riding down a Long Island road, a Toyota Four Runner travelling toward him must not have noticed him on his bike when it made the left turn, striking Thompson on his motorcycle and nearly tearing off his leg.
He later lost his leg below the knee after being airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he would spend the next 10 weeks.
At the hospital, Thompson was fitted with a new prosthetic leg.
His mother, Janet Thompson-Simonson, said her son has had a positive outlook through it all.
"At our Thanksgiving dinner, he was walking without crutches already; it's just amazing," Thompson-Simonson said.
On Saturday, The Waterhole's Upstairs Music Lounge in Saranac Lake will feature Bitter~Sweet, a band based in Tupper Lake, with admission cost being a donation in hopes of raising money to help Thompson.
Thompson-Simonson said that her son is a carpenter by trade and that the loss of his leg will most likely have an effect on his profession.
"His first initial reaction was that he didn't want any handouts," Thompson-Simonson said. "My reaction to that was, 'You're going to need this because you don't even know the kinds of things you're going to have to take care of yet.'"
Thompson-Simonson added that Thompson is the father of a 3-year-old son as well.
Carrie Snye, a member of Bitter~Sweet and longtime friend of Thompson-Simonson, said the benefit concert was the only thing she could think to do to help out.
"This was just something we could do to help Eric out a little bit," Snye said. "I don't think a lot of people know that this has happened since they have only been back (from the hospital) a couple weeks now."
The doors open at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Thompson-Simonson said she and her son are looking forward to the concert and that she appreciates all the goodwill her family has witnessed since the accident.
"People from the community have been sending cards, and everything like that is just such a huge boost for his attitude," she said. "I just want to send a big 'Thanks!' to everybody."
Contact Emily Hunkler at 891-2600 ext. 24 or ehunkler@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.
