Community rallies to support injured Palos Park day care children, teachers after driver crashed into church

Chicago Tribune

23-05-2025

After a pickup truck crashed into a Palos Park church day care May 16, the community is rallying around the injured children and teachers.
Emily Elzen said she picked up her two daughters, ages 2 and 5, from the day care at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration just 10 minutes before the crash. Shortly after, parents began calling and texting each other to share the news and check if everyone was safe.
Though the news was terrifying, Elzen said she's grateful the outcome wasn't worse.
The crash led to the hospitalization of three day care children, two police officers and a church staff member who suffered a medical emergency at the scene. All have since been released, said Palos Park police Chief Joe Miller.
'There are still some lingering medical issues,' Elzen said. 'But it is kind of the best-case scenario in a terrible situation because we are just beyond grateful that everyone is alive.'
In the aftermath, Elzen said mental health support will be crucial for the affected families and staff. That need, along with mounting medical bills, inspired her to launch a GoFundMe campaign, which she said raised $18,549 as of Friday morning.
Elzen said the donations will go directly to the affected teachers and families to help alleviate the unexpected financial burdens they now face, as well as emotional support needs.
Palos Park police said a 29-year-old man driving a pickup truck east on McCarthy Road shortly after 4:30 p.m. May 16 apparently suffered a medical emergency. The pickup veered off 123rd Street, crossed 86th Avenue and went into the parking lot of the church before crashing into the building, police said.
Police have retrieved the vehicle's black box, Miller said. Investigators are awaiting the driver's medical records and toxicology samples have been sent to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab. Miller said it could take weeks before the results are returned.
The hole in the wall is now boarded up with a sign that reads 'Praise God all is well.' The Rev. Hunter Farrow, Transfiguration's priest-in-charge, said the church has begun what could be a lengthy process of appraising the damage and completing repairs. Authorities also ordered power to be cut to the property as a precaution, he said.
The church's sanctuary was unaffected by the crash, but with the power out, the congregation worshipped outside instead on May 18, Farrow said. Another outdoor service is planned for Sunday.
Farrow said he hopes to resume indoor worship soon and is working with city officials to secure a temporary location for the day care, which serves children 15 months to 5 years and offers preschool and early learning programs. Both local officials and other churches have stepped in to offer support as the church navigates the recovery process, he said.
Elzen said Sunday's service was a much-needed respite and source of support for the community.
After the crash, Elzen began reaching out to businesses in the town and nearby areas for help with the day care's annual school picnic, which could no longer be held inside the church.
She said Orland Park, Tinley Park, Crestwood, Palos Park and Palos Heights businesses all stepped up with donations, including cakes, pizzas, gift cards, flowers and even a DJ who volunteered his services.
'It has just been such a generous outpouring from the entire community,' she said.
When initial reports of the crash came in, Miller feared the damage might be 'catastrophic,' but because the crash happened after most children had been picked up and many of those remaining were not standing near the wall the truck came through, most children and staff avoided serious injury.
One child who was treated and released that day was a 4-year-old girl who suffered bumps, bruises and scrapes, including a severe cut to the side of her head that required stitches, her father, JJ Glavan, told the Chicago Tribune. Another 4-year-old was hospitalized with a fractured skull, her father, Matt Matchuta, said.
'We were very lucky, as far as there were injuries but nothing that couldn't be treated by medical staff, as opposed to dealing with more serious injuries or even death,' Miller said.
While the crash deeply shook the community and brought some parents' worst fears to life, Elzen said she doesn't hesitate to send her children back to the day care, confident in the teachers' quick and heroic actions that helped save the children's lives that day.
'The teachers jumped into action so fast, and they did exactly what they should have done in that situation, so I'm not scared, because every time you send your kid out the door, you're just trusting in God that they're going to come home to you,' Elzen said. 'I think it was just truly an accident. And I have full faith sending my kids back there when it reopens.'