the loss of his mother to cancer when tom was 11 left his family in turmoil. after moving around a lot in his teens, mcalevey settled in los angeles at 20 and pursued acting, martial arts, and motorsports. at 24, he set off by motorcycle and circumnavigated the world for two years. at 27, while riding his english registered bmw motorcycle back from the long beach grand prix in california, he was struck by a drunk driver in a car. the impact broke his back and neck, and took his entire left arm, earning him the nickname "bandit" (as in one-armed bandit). he underwent massive spinal surgery and spent two years in and out of hospitals.