17-05-2025
2 children, 1 police officer remain hospitalized day after driver ran pickup truck into Palos Park church Friday
When JJ Glavan stepped out of his car to pick up his two daughters from day care at a Palos Park church Friday afternoon, he was immediately hit with the smell of burnt rubber.
He didn't think anything of it. But as he approached the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, he was met by his youngest daughter's class standing outside the building. It was then that he was told about a crash. It was hard to process what had happened at first, Glavan said.
It wasn't until he got to the other side of the church where the paramedics were and he saw his 4-year-old daughter covered in blood that he truly understood what had happened.
'She was walking, she was talking and she just seemed a little scared,' Glavan said. 'At that point, I think it really hit me.'
According to Palos Park police, a 29-year-old driver from Oak Forest heading east on McCarthy Road shortly after 4:30 p.m. apparently suffered a medical emergency. Authorities said he veered off 123rd Street, crossed 86th Avenue and into the parking lot of the church before crashing into the building.
On Saturday afternoon, police said two children remained at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. A third had been released.
Two Palos Park police officers had been hospitalized for inhalation of smoke and construction debris while trying to get to the children inside the church, police said. One officer was released early Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, police on Friday said one church staff member suffered a medical emergency while the Fire Department was on the scene and had been taken to Palos Northwestern. The driver of the pickup truck had been taken to Palos Northwestern with Palos Park officers.
Their conditions remained unknown as of Saturday afternoon.
Glavin, who had come back to the church Saturday morning, told the Tribune his daughter Harper sustained a 3- to 4-inch laceration along the left side of her head that was so deep, he could almost see her skull. She also suffered bumps and bruises, scratches to her face and another laceration on the back of her head.
Her family had rushed her to Christ Hospital after the crash and doctors stitched the gash on the left side of her head and glued the abrasion she sustained at the back of her head. Glavan said she was finally discharged from the hospital about 11:30 p.m. Friday.
The family is still trying to process what happened, Glavan said.
'We feel grief because she was one of the luckier ones,' Glavan said. 'We were one of the first ones to get discharged. We feel lucky in that sense.'
While his daughter seems okay at this point, Glavan said the long-term effects are yet to be seen. Taking it one step at a time, Glavan said his family plans to focus on taking care of Harper and making sure 'she's good to go' while supporting the other families who've been affected.
Nicole Chiappetti, a manager at The Plush Horse, an ice cream parlor across the street, was training in the back of the store when the crash happened. Walking out about 20 minutes later, Chiappetti saw dozens of cars crowding the street.
Chiappetti said she ran over to the church. She recalled the scene as surprisingly calm. She and her supervisor brought over water and ice cream for the kids, to try and make the kids feel 'better.'
The air hung heavier in Palos on Saturday morning, she said. There's a bit of a shift at the Plush Horse and the church is missing its usual visitors, Chiappetti said. However, despite what's unfolded, Chiapetti said the community in Palos Park is 'very strong.'
'The fact we're all sticking together and helping each other out is going to make it a lot easier,' Chiapetti said.
On the Palos Park police Facebook page, the department posted it saw 'the very best' of its community in response to a tragedy.
'We saw courageous teachers and people running toward the problem rather than away from it, we saw people being action-oriented and neighborly, reaching out, being supportive, generous and selfless,' the post said. 'Community members offering assistance, other religious organizations in Palos Park contacting PPPD offering any assistance needed. In this chaotic event we experienced the very best of our friends and neighbors.'
Police and village staff are working with the church staff and other agencies during the investigation, police said.
