Siesta Key community rallies around injured bartender

Working as a bartender on Siesta Key for the past eight years, Kurt Becker has made a lasting impression on vacationers and locals, alike. A Chicago-born sports fanatic who’s not afraid to tell it like it is, Becker’s quick wit and outgoing personality have made him a fixture in Siesta Key’s nightlife, so much so, that even customers who’ve met him years ago still ask for him by name.

“He can talk to anybody,” said Rick Davies, general manager at the Old Salty Dog, where Becker currently works. “He loves to give people a hard time with some sarcasm, in good way. He’s the perfect bartender.”
Tuesday, July 10, on one of his days off, Becker was trimming a tree near his house, when he fell off a ladder and broke two vertebrae in his back.

“It was a devastating injury,” said his brother, Matt Becker. “He had surgery the day after the fall, and right now he’s paralyzed from the waist down. There’s still a possibility of him walking again, but it’s minimal.”
Almost immediately after word of Becker’s accident hit the Key, there was an outpouring of support for the man who’s had an impact on so many others.

The Old Salty Dog, along with other businesses in the Village, have taken up a collection for Becker; a concert-ticket raffle formed by his brother has earned more than $3,000; and an online donation site has raised more than $8,000.

“The support has been amazing,” said Davies. “People who don’t even know him were stopping by, giving me $100 bills.”

Becker is currently undergoing physical therapy in Bradenton, and he has a long road ahead of him in the recovery process. Without health insurance, he will need as much financial help and moral support as possible. Matt Becker says that his brother felt tingling in his legs during a recent therapeutic massage, which offers some hope of the possibility of regaining use of his legs.

“He has his ups and downs,” said Matt Becker. “But he has a lot of support. There’s been 10 to 15 people visiting him in his room around the clock since the accident.”

Matt Becker says the personality that’s earned his brother so many friends will also help him get through his recovery process.

“Even going into surgery, he was giving the nurse a hard time,” said Matt Becker. “He’s a tough-minded kid. He’s stubborn, and a tough worker. If anyone can do this, it’s him.”

How to help
Anyone interested in making a donation to Kurt Becker can visit the Old Salty Dog in person, or use his online donation site at indiegogo.com/kurt-becker. Twenty-dollar raffle tickets are also available for purchase at Gilligan’s or the Old Salty Dog until Aug. 3. The winner will receive a five-hour session with “Tophat Dave” from Webber Street Tattoo.