Austin bartender wakes from coma following scooter crash

AUSTIN, Texas - Randi Welch, an Austin bartender and prominent figure in the LGBTQ+ community, is awake after a scooter crash left them in a coma earlier this month. 

Since the crash, the community has rallied around Welch.

"Randi is everyone's biggest support supporter, like everyone's biggest cheerleader. It's just so it was really hard for us to think that, like. Ugh. You know," said Maggie Lea, co-owner of Cheer Up Charlie’s.

Beloved bartender Randi Welch is out of a coma, awake, and responsive, after fracturing their skull, and several other bones in a mid-October scooter crash.

Welch works at Swan Dive and Barbarella’s, co-owner Jacob Cheely has been fundraising to help them with accident related expenses.

"It’s the least we can do is try to throw that back their way," Cheely said.

Also fundraising was Welch’s former employer at Cheer Up Charlie’s, an LGBTQ+ bar, co-owner Maggie Lea. She said Welch is known for curating femme focused, non-binary queer spaces.

"They have shown up so well for themselves and for their friends and the community that they've sort of institutionalize themselves as an icon," Lea said.

Now, the community is hoping to give the same level of care and support back to Welch. 

"It's very sweet to see everybody put aside all the other issues in their lives and all the other drama and just be like, look, someone in our community is hurt, and this is not the time for all of all that to just get together and do something productive," Lea said.

Several fundraisers are coming up for Welch. One on Election Night at Cheer Up Charlie's. A drink Welch created will also be served at the next "Tuesgayz" event at Barbarellas.