CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (WGN) — An Illinois man is on a long road to recovery after a car crashed through his garage and into his home’s shower while he was inside.

At around 7 p.m. on July 27, authorities responded to a suburban home in Crystal Lake, Illinois, after the crash was reported.

Police believe an SUV left the roadway, crashed into the garage and went airborne, ending up on the second floor of the home.

Angelo Pleotis, 64, was inside taking a shower at the time.

According to family attorney Brad Pollock, Pleotis was hit by the car and debris, and pushed through the shower wall.

“He ended up going through a washer and a dryer and ended up in an adjacent room when things finally came to rest,” Pollock said.

Pleotis was rushed to a local hospital with head trauma and internal injuries. Doctors later discovered he was paralyzed, his family said.

“When the crash happened, it damaged his spine in two places, leaving him paralyzed,” son Phillip Pleotis said.

Police said the driver of the SUV failed to stop at a nearby intersection before running off the road. It’s currently unknown whether charges will be filed.


Crews tearing down Crystal Lake garage after car slams into it

Pleotis was looking forward to retirement after working as a tool maker. A week before the accident, his daughter had made a special request of him.

“She had just recently officially asked my dad to walk her down the aisle about a week, week and a half before all this happened,” his son said.

Pleotis’ brother, Lou Pleotis, lives with him but was at work at the time of the accident.

“He’s just a wonderful guy. He certainly didn’t deserve this,” said Lou Pleotis. “I’m going to miss going fishing with him if unfortunately he can’t, you know, do that again. It’s gonna be hard.”

A GoFundMe for Pleotis’ medical bills and home modifications had raised over $72,000 as of Wednesday morning.

“It seems that this incident has taken away part of my brother’s life — and his way of life,” Lou Pleotis said. “So whatever can be done to make his life happy from this time moving forward — or easier — it would be more than appreciated.”

Read More

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: