Injured man looking for Good Samaritan in tollway crash
- Article
- Photos (2)
Friends and family of a truck driver seriously injured in a crash on the Tri-State Tollway hope a Good Samaritan steps forward so they can properly thank him.
Keith Sphar, 25, of Hebron, was heading south at about 9:45 a.m. Monday when his truck overturned and hit a concrete median near Grand Avenue in Gurnee, according to Illinois State Police. Sphar was driving a tractor-trailer filled with fly ash for Gratz Outdoor Services in Crystal Lake.
Sphar suffered a head injury and has been unable to speak since the accident. But he wrote a note to his boss, Ron Gratz, asking him to find the man who he believes saved his life.
Sphar remembers the man had a Spanish accent, and his name was Victor. He pulled over after the crash and raced over when Sphar motioned for him, Gratz said. Victor held and comforted Sphar, and tried to control the bleeding from his head.
Sphar stated in the note that Victor talked about Jesus and God, said Gratz.
"I need to find Victor," Gratz said, quoting Sphar. "Victor saved my life. I owe my life to Victor."
State police Master Sgt. S. Legrand said investigators are assisting in trying to find the Good Samaritan. Gratz said he hopes Victor becomes aware that Sphar's friends and family appreciate his actions and contacts them.
Anyone with information about Victor may call Gratz Outdoor Services at (815) 459-4418.
Meanwhile, family and friends have been rallying around Sphar since Gurnee Fire Department paramedics brought him to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville on Monday morning. Sphar underwent surgery for his head injury on Thursday.
Co-worker Ryan Fisher, 20, of Harvard, is among those rooting for Sphar's recovery. Fisher plays on a sand volleyball team with Sphar.
"He'd talk to anybody," Fisher said of Sphar. "He'd make you laugh, crack jokes."
Gratz said Sphar is like one of his own children.
Police continue to investigate the cause of the accident, which also involved a passenger vehicle. The driver of the car was uninjured, police said. No tickets have been issued.
