Pianist Dave Schlossberg always wanted to be a performer. During his childhood in East Brunswick, he accompanied high school musicals and played at his temple. He attended the College of New Jersey, where he earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in piano performance.
If you saw him today, behind the keyboard as an accompanist for a range of local organizations — for example with the Makhelate Hamerkaz choir in Monroe on Sunday, June 23 — you might not guess how lucky he considers himself to be here at all or how close he came to having his dream of performing — and his life — ended.
On a cold winter night in January, 2005, Schlossberg was hit by a drunk driver.
“I was heading back to my TCNJ dorm room from a service at my synagogue, where I worked as a piano accompanist — a typical Friday evening,” says Schlossberg. He stopped at a red light on Route 1 and was rear ended by a drunk 30-year-old woman going 55 miles per hour.
“All I recalled at first was lots of shattered glass and the smell of twisted metal everywhere,” Schlossberg says. Initially all that surrounded him was pain, then numbness and an inability to move, and then nothing.
“I felt alone — for the few minutes before the first responder came to my car I felt completely and utterly alone. Shocked — like everything was a void and time stood still. I have never experienced anything like that in my life,” he says.
Schlossberg explains that to him a drunk driving accident is not a singular event. There are stories that follow the accident — both on the side of the victim and the perpetrator. Lives are changed forever, and a domino effect takes place. “I decided to start to tell my story to others because I hoped that a first-person perspective, a tried and true victim would get more of a response,” he explains. He feels that he is more than a statistic — his life plan was knocked off course that evening.
An old friend, Josh Levy, a senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, approached Schlossberg because he thought his story should be told to as many students as possible. “I wanted to do this lecture to share the lessons I’ve learned about never giving up and the power of hard work. I want to inspire people to go after their life goals,” Schlossberg explains.
For several years Schlossberg spoke to students during driver’s education class, but Levy and Schlossberg wanted to reach the community at large. So this April in conjunction with the local police, Plainsboro Township Human Relations Council, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, they co-hosted a community forum titled “The Dangers of Drunk & Distracted Driving.”
Levy, a Plainsboro resident, is active within the West Windsor-Plainsboro community and volunteers at the Plainsboro Fire Department. “From an early age I felt that these activities have kept me away from the poor temptations an average teenager may face,” Levy says. “I think we need to reach children in the classrooms being approached by peers who have actually been affected.”
At the end of Schlossberg’s speech on the dangers of drinking and driving he tottered to his keyboard, cane in hand, and played music for the audience. His friends and clients call him “Piano Dave.” “I’ve always loved music. However, I love entertaining and music is my outlet to make others happy,” he says. He seems to be inspired by cheerleading others. “I take inspiration from others people’s stories who had more severe injuries than me and managed to make it work. If they can do it, why can’t I? Being in front of an audience and seeing them smile makes me feel good inside,” Schlossberg says. His favorite quote: “Quitters never win and winners never quit.”
Schlossberg knows quite a bit about not quitting. His biggest initial obstacles were paralysis, fear, and depression. “There was an emotional loneliness, an inability to move anything below my chest, continuous pain, and a paralyzing fear of dying. I actually remember thinking, I guess I can’t do this gig tomorrow night,” says Schlossberg.
He was in a constant state of unease and unrest. “I was forced into this situation that I had no idea how to manage. I definitely spent sleepless nights crying and cursing the woman who hit me. Sometimes I thought it wasn’t worth living, but thankfully that changed,” he says.
Schlossberg’s injuries were extensive. The most severe were a spinal cord injury at the fifth thoracic vertebra, eight broken ribs, a lacerated spleen, and a punctured lung. He spent weeks at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, a good portion of that in the ICU. He had one major surgery, a T4-T6 spinal fusion, in which rods were placed in his back to stabilize it. Four months of physical therapy at the Kessler Institute in Saddle Brook followed, and outpatient therapy continued for years. A constant ache and nerve pain in his chest can make the simplest gestures agonizing. “I can freak out with the tenderness, become cautious, and get painful sensations from even a hug,” Schlossberg says.
He remembers the doctor in charge of his case, Dr. Barbara Benevento. “She was a very tough woman — smart as a whip and unwilling to take any guff from anybody. My first day at Kessler I was in relentless pain and confused regarding any directions,” Schlossberg says. Staff placed him in a big wheelchair and told him to find out where he needed to be on his own. His options were narrow at first — therapy, the dining room, or support a group.
“I went to complain to Dr. Benevento that I was confused, and she wouldn’t hear it,” he says. “She told me to toughen up, that now I needed to figure things out for myself. She even told me to stop whining.” Though this made him angry, it provoked him. He knew it was a calculated move on her part to help him over his depression. “Dr B. inspired me to take things into my own hands, and take control of my situation. I owe a lot to her,” Schlossberg says.
During his grueling rehab program Schlossberg would often relax by playing piano. “For a long time, my foot didn’t work to press the sustain pedal, so I’d instead practice Bach and other pieces. I would read a lot and find excuses to make friends with staff,” he says.
Eight years later, Schlossberg still has problems tackling ordinary tasks like crossing the road. “Because of balance issues and coordination my brain tells me that I feel like I’m stepping onto the edge of a cliff. I feel like I have post traumatic stress disorder,” he says. He tries to be purposeful, passionate, and mindful in his steps now.
Schlossberg has never spoken to the woman who hit him. “I saw her twice in court, never spoke to her. I would not really know what to say. I think I’ve said everything I would say to her on a therapist’s couch already,” he says. According to police the driver had finished 12 Long Island iced teas, and her blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit. “I would hope she has found peace with what she did. It was an accident after all. But I would like her to be in my shoes for one day just to show her the many ways that her one action still affects me today,” Schlossberg says.
He has only vague memories of the trial. “I barely remember it,” he says. “It was very intimidating, even though I knew I was the victim and she was the perpetrator.” But, he adds, it was also “thrilling — like I was starring in my own episode of ‘Law and Order.’”
Prior to the accident Schlossberg’s life was not surrounded by fear, depression, or waves of anxiety. There were no court dates, physical therapy, or constant doctor’s visits. “A typical day would find me in college music courses at TCNJ. I would always try to find a piano to entertain someone if I could. Every Wednesday night I’d play piano for diners in one of the campus dining halls. I’d also be doing gigs around the area — restaurant cocktail hours or weddings,” he says.
His parents still live in East Brunswick, where he grew up. His mother teaches special education at Morgan Elementary in Hamilton, and his father is the website manager for a home appliance distributor. Schlossberg is his family’s first musician. “What drew me to the paino was the ability to do so much with your hands,” he says. “The ability to create orchestral soundscapes with only your two hands fascinated me. I didn’t like that other instruments could only do one melody at a time.”
He was once afraid that the accident would affect his ability to play the instrument he loves. A normal piano stool has no back, so he was concerned that his balance and back strength issues would keep him from sitting properly. He also had to learn to use the sustain pedal, the right-most of the three pedals on a piano, with his left foot.
Driving is also a different experience for Schlossberg now. On any given day you may find this 29-year old piano player driving to and from rehearsals along Route 1. His car is equipped with special pedals to allow him to drive. His spirit is always on high alert while driving.
The groups he currently accompanies include the New Jersey Cantors Concert Ensemble; Makhelat Hamercaz, the Jewish Choir of Central New Jersey; Kol Dodi, the Jewish Community Choir of Metro-West; and Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick. He is also a member of Tsu Fil Duvids (“Too Many Daves”), a Klezmer band out of Highland Park. He is the musical director of the Concordia Chorale in Monroe and the Middlesex County Arts Middle School’s musical theater program. He also plays at bar/bat mitzvahs, corporate parties, weddings, and community events.
His biggest supporter is his girlfriend, Katrina, who works helping special needs students become more independent in the workplace. She “loves me unconditionally and thinks I’m beautiful,” Schlossberg says. His immediate family, former college faculty and friends, and his religious community are true believers in Piano Dave. “Today, even though I’ve moved on from college, my family and Jewish community still support me in more ways than I could ever count,” he says.
Schlossberg wants people to understand that “the consequences of one decision do indeed last a lifetime.” To date you may find Piano Dave driving down the same stretch of highway that almost took his life. Heading back and forth from rehearsal to musical performances, he may spot someone texting and driving.
“I think they are stupid,” he says. “What is so important? Sometimes I catch myself wanting to drive and text, but I know I wasn’t given a second chance just to throw it all away. Seeing people driving dangerously just makes me shake my head and pray that no one else goes through what I experienced.”
Israel at 65: Spirit in Song, Makhelat Hamercaz Jewish Choir, Marasco Performing Arts Center, 1629 Perrineville Road, Monroe. Sunday, June 23, 3 p.m. Concert focuses on music of Broadway, opera, and Israel. $25. 732-422-6444 or www.mercazchoir.org.
