The owners of a Crystal Lake tattoo shop said in an update that their 15-year-old son has shown “many positive strides” after he was left in a coma with a severe brain injury following an e-bike crash near a Crystal Lake school.
Jack Beatty, 15, of Crystal Lake, was riding his Super73 Class II electric bicycle in the area of Walkup Road and Dvorak Drive in unincorporated Crystal Lake around 1 p.m. on August 5.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said the electric bike was involved in a crash with a 2017 Ford C-Max car.
An investigation showed that Beatty was on the electric bicycle traveling westbound near Dvorak Drive.
The Ford was traveling northbound on Walkup Road when Beatty failed to yield to the vehicle for unknown reasons, the sheriff’s office said.
The collision occurred as Beatty was crossing the roadway. Sheriff’s officials did not say whether the bike was in the crosswalk or not.
Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department Battalion Chief Jim Sustek said fire crews arrived in four minutes and found Beatty in the roadway.
The incident occurred in front of Prairie Ridge High School, which was having Distribution Day where students receive their class schedule and textbooks and have their photo taken.
Sheriff’s officials said Beatty was transported by ambulance to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.
Police radio traffic indicated the child was initially unconscious and not breathing at the scene.
Paramedics requested a medical helicopter to respond to the scene due to the severity of the injuries but the closest helicopter was 30 minutes away, Sustek and emergency radio traffic said.
Paramedics instead ground-transported Beatty to the local hospital with extra firefighter-paramedics on board for patient care.
A Flight For Life helicopter responded and met the ambulance crew at the hospital’s helipad, according to fire department radio traffic.
Beatty was transferred to the flight crew, which flew him to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, sheriff’s officials said.
Sustek said the victim suffered life-threatening injuries and was in critical condition at the time of transport.
The sheriff’s office said in an update after the crash that the child remained in serious condition at the hospital.
Crystal Lake resident Mark Hladish said Beatty was placed into a medically induced coma in order to monitor his severe traumatic brain injury.
Hladish said the boy is a “bright, thoughtful kid” with a sarcastic sense of humor and a “fierce loyalty” to family.
“He is a sweet and protective older brother who loves to read to his little twin sisters and (lovingly) annoy his younger sister Lila. Jack spends his time learning different languages, studying geography, playing games with his dad, and adores hanging out with his grandparents,” Hladish said.
The driver of the Ford, a 66-year-old Crystal Lake woman, was uninjured and is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Sheriff’s deputies shut down Walkup Road between Hillside Road and Pleasant Hill Road while the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit responded to the scene.
Bill Atella told Lake and McHenry County Scanner he witnessed the incident right in front of him and called it a “horrifying accident.”
Atella said the bike was on the other side of the street and the child was lying motionless in the middle of the street.
A woman told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that someone she knows witnessed the accident, stayed with the boy and called 911. She said it was not the female driver of the car’s fault.
Hladish said he created a GoFundMe account to raise funds for the Beatty family to help offset the “insurmountable” medical expenses and “massive amounts” of ongoing care that “no family should ever have to be burdened with after a tragic accident like this.”
“While much is unknown as of now, his family (father Joe and stepmom Chelsea) will need to remain by his side as much as humanly possible to assist in his recovery,” Hladish said earlier this month.
In an update on Friday, the boy’s parents said, “While his recovery will not be linear, Jack has shown us so many positive strides over the last week. We are feeling extremely grateful and will continue to update as time goes on.”
The GoFundMe account has already raised over $72,000 from more than 900 donors.
Hladish works at Dark Heart Tattoo, located at 121 North Main Street in Crystal Lake, which the boy’s father and stepmother own.
The shop will be holding a fundraising flash event and raffle on Saturday and Sunday where they will be auctioning off packages donated by the local small business community and an extended family of artists.
“As anyone in the tattoo community knows, there’s no paid time off and no sick leave. They will have to miss large untold periods of work as they help Jack in whatever rehabilitation lies ahead,” Hladish said.
“The Beatty’s are people who have given their lives to building community and now it’s our chance to step up and show them what community can be,” he said.
Hladish said they are “unbelievably blown away” by the support from the community. “It is so incredible to see how many of you are in Jack’s corner.”
The sheriff’s office has not said whether any citations or charges would be issued but said the incident remains under active investigation by the Major Crash Investigation Unit.