Eric Masters was to join the Texas RoadRunners this week in Bryan / College Station TX. All that changed when Coach Beavis received a call from Eric who was still in shock over what had happened. “Eric sounded pretty beat up and dejected when he called me around 8:30 am on Thursday . Eric said he almost died and had to be airlifted after being cut out of his truck after colliding with a train Wednesday night. He said that his left leg was completely crushed and would need several surgeries but the doctors were positive and feeling that a 100% recovery over a long period of time was likely.” stated Beavis
The Roadrunner players were immediately told of the sad news and it hit them as more of a shock. Beavis went onto say that the team will keep Coach Masters on their roster for the season and are working on an event that may help him with the expenses he may incur over the next several months. “I have spoke with several guys that knew Eric over the years and stated he was a great guy that wanted this opportunity badly. Hopefully he can join us after his recovery and begin his coaching career. A Longtime acquaintance of mine and Master’s former coach RC Lyke of the RVA Generals shared the sad news on Facebook and we had the opportunity to talk a bit about Eric.” added Beavis The photos shared with this story are in part from Coach Lyke’s Facebook post as well as the go fund me page set up to help Eric Masters defray some of his medical costs.
The following is from the owners of Billy Bones BBQ:
To our friends and family, we are Andrew and Rachael Reinhardt. We own Billy Bones BBQ Ribfest Team that operates in the Atlantic provinces and Alberta. Eric Masters is our right-hand man that manages our Billy rig in Alberta and has become one of our closest friends. Yesterday, September 7th, we received a terrifying phone call that our two friends Eric Masters and Emma MacIsaac were in an severe accident colliding with a train on their way from Fort McMurray to Calgary, hauling the rig. The truck was disintegrated, and Eric was crushed beneath the dash for several hours, awaiting medical care. He was airlifted to Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton and is there currently. Last night, he underwent a six-hour surgery on his left leg and will require more surgery these coming days. We are beyond thankful that they are both alive and stable from this traumatic event. Emma suffered minor injuries and was discharged this morning but is quite traumatized.
This event happened on the last show of a fifteen-week tour, where Eric and Emma have proved to be exceptional team members going above and beyond their duties on the rib truck as employees and extraordinary humans.
Beyond Ribfest, Eric has had to forgo starting his new position as an assistant hockey coach in Texas and his many other ambitions and plans for this coming year.
The RoadRunners are keeping Eric in their thoughts and prayers and will update the community on his recovery process as we get news. The Runners will also keep their fans and supporters updated on plans for a benefit for Eric in the near future.
To learn more about about Eric’s Go Fund me or to become involved with our fundraiser for Eric please reach out to Jeannie Beavis at: jeannie@roadrunnershockey.com
You can also keep track of Eric by visiting his Facebook Page Eric Masters