Donald Braswell II - Car Accident and Aftermath

Car Accident and Aftermath

Braswell's operatic career ended abruptly in the fall of 1995. While performing with the Welsh National Opera in their tour of Madama Butterfly in Wales, Braswell was struck by a car while riding a bicycle, which resulted in injuries to the soft tissue in his throat. He was told by medical professionals that he would never sing again and possibly would have difficulty ever speaking normally. He was unable to speak for a long period of time.

When he was once again able to make sounds, Braswell began using the Bertacci vocal techniques and other training that he had learned, working to regain the use of his speaking voice and eventually his singing voice as well. As his voice strengthened, his church encouraged him to sing there, and later he began testing his returning vocals with local community productions.

Braswell defied predictions and began to sing again in the year 2000 with a debut with the San Antonio Symphony. He earned the lead role of Lancelot in the cast of Camelot in the Majestic Theatre for the symphony's Pop Series. The next year he had the lead in Kismet with the symphony again. He performed with the San Antonio Three Tenors in small shows in shopping malls and elsewhere when they needed a replacement singer. It was at one of these that a fan persuaded Braswell to make a CD, which was subsequently released in 2007 with the title New Chapter. Braswell has also appeared in The Life of David Gale, Resurrection, As the World Turns, One Life to Live and Miss Congeniality. In Miss Congeniality, he played the dermatologist of Gracie Hart; however, the scene was cut from the final production to trim the length of the movie.

All of these performances were extracurricular activities for Braswell while he held down full-time jobs in insurance sales, car sales, and swimming-pool design to support his growing family. His first daughter was born two years after the accident, and two more daughters came in the years during his recovery.