Driver of SUV that plowed into Crystal Lake home, paralyzed man faces charges
CHICAGO (CBS) – The driver of an SUV that plowed into a Crystal Lake home on July 27, leaving a man paralyzed, is facing multiple charges.
Connor Kirkpatrick, 27, of Crystal Lake, was charged with aggravated reckless driving, reckless conduct and criminal damage to property, according to a Crystal Lake police news release.
Police said the driver was headed east on Ballard Road and for some reason went off the roadway just past Briarwood Road, hitting the house in the 100 block of Heather Drive in the far northwest suburb.
The SUV ended up wedged inside the house on the second floor.
Kirkpatrick had to be extricated by Crystal Lake Fire/Rescue and was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with life-threatening injuries.
As of Tuesday, police said Kirkpatrick remains hospitalized with significant injuries. The warrant for his arrest will be served upon his release from the hospital.
The man who lives in the home, Angelo Pleotis, also was taken to Condell Medical Center. According to a GoFundMe set up by his family, Pleotis suffered collapsed lungs, broken ribs, head trauma, and fractures to his spine, leaving him paralyzed.
His daughter-in-law, who set up the GoFundMe, said Pleotis was just months away from retiring.
"Also, his daughter is getting married in a month and now won't likely be able to attend and won't be able to walk her down the aisle as planned. He didn't deserve any of this. He has had his entire life flipped upside down in the one place he should feel the safest - his own home," she wrote. "On top of this our Uncle who was living with him has been displaced and almost all possessions will need to be replaced."
