The new school year got off to a frightening start for one country star and his family.
Rodney Atkins, who debuted his first charting single “In A Heartbeat” in 1997, revealed to Taste of Country that his 16-year old son, Elijah, was hit by a drunk driver earlier this week.
“He was in an accident. A methed-out drunk driver hit him,” Atkins said of Eli whose truck was totaled in the collision. “He’s fine. Not a scratch on him.”
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Further details of the accident weren’t revealed, but Atkins shared that the event allowed he and Eli to share some heart-to-heart talks.
“It’s an opportunity to kind of look around and something good is gonna come out of it.” Atkins told his son. “Then he said, ‘I know, I know, Dad…from watching you I’ve learned that when the worst things happen in your life to keep your head up because that’s when some of the best things are gonna happen.'”
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We are so thankful that Elijah was uninjured in the accident. Hear Rodney Atkins talk to Taste of Country about the accident in the video below. Then scroll down to hear Rodney sing “Watching You,” a song he wrote for Eli in 2006.