Glendale Heights boy OK after car crashes into him sleeping on couch

A 12-year-old boy is recovering from an ankle injury after he was pinned by a car that crashed into his family's Glendale Heights home.

Police said an older-model Buick left the road at 9:51 a.m. Sunday and smashed through a wall into the house on the 1300 block of Glen Ellyn Drive, trapping the boy who had been sleeping on the couch.

Glenside Fire Protection District Chief Russell Wood said the fact the boy was sleeping likely saved his life.

“This situation had all kinds of potential to be a lot worse than it was,” Wood said. “He suffered a minor ankle injury but had he been sitting up, this would have been a tragedy.”

Wood said the car was resting on top of the boy when rescuers arrived. They stabilized the vehicle with blocks before the youth got out from under it.

“He was very frightened and didn't want to move,” Wood said. “But once we convinced him the car was stable, he crawled out on his own.”

The driver of the Buick, a 45-year-old Bloomingdale resident, did not sustain any injuries and declined medical treatment.

Glendale Heights Deputy Police Chief Steve Ewoldt said the driver has not been charged because the crash is still being investigated.

Wood said the vehicle was removed and the home was deemed unfit for occupancy until it can be made structurally stable.

Attempts to reach the family were unsuccessful.

The crash comes 11 months after a cab crashed through the side of a house on the 1800 block of Gregory Avenue, injuring the homeowner.

“Lets not have any more of these happen,” Wood said.