GoFundMe campaign seeks support for family of security worker hit by car at Septemberfest

A Hanover Park man who'd remained active with a pair of prosthetic legs is struggling with severe injuries that include a broken neck as well as medical complications after being struck by a car traveling the wrong direction on a one-way street while he was working private security at Schaumburg's Septemberfest.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to assist the family as 58-year-old Mike Parr faces a long and difficult recovery. He has been the main source of income since his wife, Janet, recently was diagnosed with early onset dementia.

Their daughter Dani, a Syracuse University graduate who's trying to get established in the field of sports management, said the family also is seeking witnesses to the accident that occurred at 10:38 p.m. Sept. 3 at the intersection of Summit Drive and New Mills Court.

Schaumburg police Lt. Christy Lindhurst said an Elk Grove Village man was cited for having caused the accident by driving his sedan north on Summit Drive in violation of signs posted about a one-way area of the street during Septemberfest.

She added that the driver stopped to deliver aid and did not exhibit signs of intoxication.

Meanwhile, Mike Parr's paralysis from the shoulders down, multiple broken ribs, two broken shoulders, facial fractures and a current inability to breathe on his own have added to the family's medical and financial stresses, his daughter said.

Though Mike lost one leg to an infection in 2009 and the other to diabetes in 2018, the kidney dialysis he began in 2019 brought him to the best level of health Dani had ever known in him. Even with two prosthetic legs, he would help his neighbors with cutting the grass and other chores.

"He loved it," Dani said. "He was fiercely independent."

Janet, now 60, had been the most consistent breadwinner in the family. She had been proficient in accounts receivable and credit management since she was 18.

But she began to struggle with her reports last year, Dani said. That prompted Mike to return to work in private security.

The $15,000 being sought by the GoFundMe campaign is to help mother and daughter make ends meet at home during this crisis, Dani said. Mike is being well looked after at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where insurance and workers' compensation have been covering the medical expenses so far.

The early days of hospitalization were relatively promising, with her father sitting up and joking with visitors, Dani said.

Then, about two weeks ago, Mike's right lung collapsed as a result of his spinal cord injury, requiring him to be put back on a ventilator and then to undergo a tracheotomy last week. At one point, his fever spiked and he became unresponsive.

"It is a little scary to see doctors beating on your dad's chest and he's not waking up," Dani said.

Though Mike is communicating again, his family's immediate goal is for him to return to his earlier level of alertness and to get more feeling back in his arms and legs. He also awaits shoulder surgery. Even before his recent setbacks, they knew his recovery was likely to take at least a year or two.

"We try to take it day by day but not to have too many expectations," Dani said. "My dad is an incredible person. He's an incredibly strong man. We're just staying hopeful and positive for him."

Before the end of its second full day, the GoFundMe campaign had raised $4,540 from among 63 donors.

In addition to financial assistance, Dani said she hopes any witnesses to the accident will reach out to her through GoFundMe or social media.