Family members say a 20-year-old man has a “very long road ahead” but is making progress after he was in critical condition with spinal injuries following a crash near McHenry.
The vehicle crash happened around 11:39 a.m. last Saturday at Miller Road and Spring Grove Road in unincorporated McHenry.
Firefighters arrived to find two vehicles involved with moderate to heavy damage.
Sheriff’s deputies reported at least one person was trapped. Firefighters worked on extrication for at least 20 minutes.
McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Communication Specialist Emily Matusek said an investigation showed a black Ford Focus was traveling northbound on Spring Grove Road.
The Ford attempted to make a left turn onto Miller Road.
Matusek said a collision occurred with the Ford and an Infiniti Q50, which was traveling southbound on Spring Grove Road.
The Ford came to rest in a ditch at the southwest corner of Miller Road and Spring Grove Road.
Two occupants of the Infiniti and four occupants from the Ford were injured and transported to the hospital, Matusek said.
The driver of the Ford, a 22-year-old Homer Glen man, and one of the passengers of the Ford, a 20-year-old woman, were transported by ambulance to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.
The driver of the Infiniti, a 41-year-old man, and the sole passenger, a 44-year-old woman, were also transported by ambulance to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.
Matusek said those four victims suffered minor injuries.
Two passengers from the Ford, a 20-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman, suffered severe injuries and were transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
The 20-year-old man was flown to the hospital by a LifeNet medical helicopter while the 20-year-old woman was ground transported by ambulance.
The 22-year-old male driver of the Ford was cited for failure to yield at the intersection, Matusek said.
A family member of Shane Callahan, who is the 20-year-old male victim, said Callahan underwent surgery due to a spinal cord injury and was admitted to the intensive care unit.
“It will be a day-by-day, week-by-week process in his recovery, and Shane has a very long road ahead of him,” Devan Callahan said.
Devan Callahan said Shane, who is a nursing major at St. Francis University, is “always the kindest, most hard working person in the room and no one ever thought this kind of thing would happen to him.”
Devan Callahan said on Saturday, one week following the crash, that Shane has been transferred to Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago to undergo rehabilitation.
“Shane and our family know we have a long way to go, but this is huge progress! It is unknown how long he will stay there, but he is going to work as hard as possible over the next weeks, months, however long it takes,” Devan Callahan said.
A GoFundMe account created to help the family with expenses during the man’s recovery has already raised nearly $29,000 thanks to over 350 donors.