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Glendale Heights man recovering after taxi crashed into his bedroom

A Glendale Heights man who was pinned to his bed a month ago when a taxi crashed through his wall is recovering from his injuries and expects to return to work soon.

Shawn Grisch, 53, of the 1800 block of Gregory Avenue, suffered broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a cut on his spleen after a cab plowed through a brick wall and landed inches from his bed around 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 1.

The driver immediately fled the scene on foot and is still at large.

"That was a wild night, eh? But I'm keeping up with my physical therapy and recovering well," Grisch said Wednesday from his home. "I'm hoping to get cleared to go back to work next week and really get back into a regular schedule."

As for the house, Grisch said crews are there daily repairing about $17,000 worth of damage to the exterior of his home and landscaping. Another $8,000, he said, will be spent replacing his bedroom furniture and repairing the home's interior.

"We're looking at at least $25,000 when we're all done," he said. "But as bad as it was, and as scary as it was, it could have been much worse."

During the clean up, Grisch said he found the taxi's front license plate in the rubble.

"It's quite a memento to have from a night I'll never forget," he said. "I think I'm going to hang it in the garage."

Grisch's wife, Christine Grisch, said she was just heading to bed on the night of the crash when she heard a revving engine and squealing tires.

"I ran in there and Shawn was pinned. The dog was under the car, so I pulled her out. And my bushes and treadmill are in my bathroom," she said after the accident. "The guy got out of the car, and that's when I think I yelled, 'Where's the gun?' and that's when he ran out of there."

Glendale Heights police declined to comment on the status of the investigation Wednesday, saying the deputy chief who takes media calls is off until Monday.

Deputy Police Chief Steve Ewoldt previously said investigators believe the driver to be a Hispanic man, about 5 feet, 9 inches tall with a stocky build who was wearing a white T-shirt. A K-9 team unsuccessfully attempted to track the driver.

Police said an open bottle of alcohol was found in the cab.

Grisch said he has not heard from the taxi company, Flat Rate Cab Dispatch, or police since the accident.

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  Shawn Grisch talks from his hospital bed shortly after a taxi crashed into his Glendale Heights bedroom. Justin Kmitch/jkmitch@dailyherald.com
A cab crashed through the side of a home in Glendale Heights in the early morning hours of Dec. 1, trapping the homeowner under a wall. He is now recovering and hopes to return to work next week. Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago
  Shawn Grisch of Glendale Heights is recovering after he and his dog, Feilin, were pinned to his bed when a taxi crashed through his bedroom wall. Work is almost done to repair the room. Bev Horne/bhorne@dailyherald.com
  Shawn Grisch of Glendale Heights is recovering after he was pinned to his bed when a taxi crashed through his bedroom wall. His dog Feilin, a 4-year-old American Eskimo, also was trapped in the crash, but was unhurt. Bev Horne/bhorne@dailyherald.com
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