A father says his 14-year-old son has been released from the hospital but has a “long road ahead” after a tree fell onto the boy and his friends, leaving the teen seriously injured in Lakewood.
The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department and Lakewood Police Department responded around 9:17 p.m. Saturday to the 7300 block of Gleneagle Circle in Lakewood for a traumatic injury.
Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department Battalion Chief Brian Tamason said multiple juveniles suffered traumatic injuries after a tree fell on them.
Fire department radio traffic indicated a 14-year-old child suffered a severe injury and one of the victims was possibly briefly unconscious.
Tamason said a LifeNet medical helicopter was placed on standby while fire crews were responding and eventually requested to respond.
Additional fire department crews were also requested to respond to the scene.
Tamason said incident command was established at the scene and paramedics found a total of three victims.
Todd Caporaso told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that he was inside his home when he heard screaming and ran outside.
Caporaso said his 14-year-old son, Carter, and other boys were on a hammock that was attached between two trees when one of the trees fell onto the kids.
Caporaso said he lifted the tree off the kids but the incident happened “so fast.”
Carter suffered a skull fracture and two fractures in his pelvis.
The LifeNet helicopter landed at Northwestern Medicine Hospital in Huntley where an ambulance transported Carter and transferred him to the flight crew.
The helicopter flew Carter to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, which has a pediatric trauma center.
Tamason said the child was hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
The two other children were treated at the scene by paramedics and did not require transport to the hospital.
Caporaso said Tuesday that Carter was awake and talking and doing “so much better” but still concussed. “Not laughing at my jokes so I think he is getting back to normal.”
Carter was released from the hospital’s intensive care unit on Wednesday and is back home. “Long road ahead filled with physical therapy,” Caporaso said.