Crystal Lake crash: Driver who plowed into home unable to communicate due to injuries, police say

ByCate Cauguiran and ABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Thursday, August 4, 2022
Driver who plowed into home unable to communicate: police
Police have identified the driver who slammed into a Crystal Lake home, but said he has been unable to communicate with anyone as a result of injuries from the crash.

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (WLS) -- Police in northwest suburban Crystal Lake continue to investigate after a car went airborne and slammed into a home a week ago.



Police have identified the driver as a 27-year-old man from Crystal Lake, but said he has been unable to communicate with anyone as a result of injuries from the crash.



Police said they are continuing to process and examine evidence from the scene, but many unanswered questions remain.



Crystal Lake police are asking anyone who may have information regarding the crash to contact them at 815-356-3620. Anonymous tips can also be sent by texting the word CLPDTIP to 847411 (tip411).



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



Angelo Pleotis, 64, was taking a shower when 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.



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



"She had just officially asked 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.



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. His family said that's a testament to how beloved he is to his family and community.

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