Family details horror after car plows into Crystal Lake home, seriously injuring father

Monday, August 1, 2022
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (WLS) -- The family of 64-year-old Angelo Pleotis is speaking out for the first time after a car plowed through his garage and into his home in Crystal Lake, injuring him so badly he may never walk again.

The father and doting grandfather remains in the ICU as his family consults with a Chicago law firm, hoping for answers and accountability.

RELATED: 2 seriously injured when car crashes through Crystal Lake garage and into 2nd story of home

Angelo Pleotis was supposed to walk his daughter down the aisle in September at her wedding.

"She had just officially aske d him to walk her down the aisle about a week and a half ago," said his son Phillip Pleotis.

Now doctors say he may never walk again.

RELATED: Man in shower when vehicle plowed into home may never walk again, son says

"Everything that we're being told as of right now is that he will not have regained anything in his lower half," he said.

Pleotis is a father, grandfather and brother, known for his love of fishing, dedication to his family, and his big heart.

"I don't think there's anybody out there who doesn't like him," said younger brother Lou Pleotis.

Pleotis was getting ready to meet a friend last week when Crystal Lake investigators said a driver crashed through his garage, going airborne into his home and into Pleotis. The driver and Pleotis were both flown to area hospitals with serious injuries.

"The impact was so great at that point that It pushed Angelo through the back wall of his bathroom through an adjacent washer and dryer, across the room," said Bradley Pollock, family attorney.

Pollock is now conducting a separate investigation as Pleotis remains in the ICU.

"It's been a whirlwind," Phillip Pleotis said. "What possible way could a man like this deserve anything like this?"

Phillips said he's found some solace talking to his father at the hospital.

"He hasn't lost who he was, which is an absolute miracle," he said.

An online fundraiser for Pleotis is still growing, and at last check was at more than $57,000. His family said that's a testament to how beloved he is to his family and community.
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