Friends and family rally to help Lake Villa baseball coach injured in crash

Lake Villa resident Rick Leukhardt is all about family and youth sports, which makes his tough situation even tougher.

The well-known and liked manager of a Lake Villa Junior Eagles traveling baseball team suffered a broken neck in an ATV crash Sunday. He remains hospitalized following successful surgery Tuesday.

"Doc, will I be able to pitch to my boys again?" is the opening line on the GoFundMe online fundraiser created by family friend Jamie Deehr to help with Leukhardt's recovery.

"He's a local guy. He was born and raised in Antioch - everybody knows Rick," said Deehr.

Leukhardt was driving an ATV at a family gathering Sunday near Antioch when the crash occurred.

"He swerved to miss a car and ended up hitting a tree," according to Deehr.

He was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville and later transferred to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he underwent a lengthy surgery.

Leukhardt's neck was broken in two places, and there were concerns about the proximity of the injury to his spinal cord, Deehr said.

"He should make a full recovery, but it's going to be a long one," she added.

Leukhardt was moved out of intensive care Wednesday and has started physical and occupational therapy, said his aunt, Lynn Wilson.

"It was a very bad accident, a fluke thing you would never think would happen," she said.

Wilson came from her home in Wausau, Wisconsin to Lake Villa to help with her nephew's two young kids, while his wife, Ryan, was at the hospital.

Leukhardt had been a commodities trader who was idled in March 2020 when the exchange was closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. He began working in construction and remodeling with his brother-in-law.

Deehr said she started the fundraiser to help the family heal together and not have to worry about medical and other expenses that will quickly mount. As of late Thursday afternoon, $18.580 of the $25,000 goal had been raised.

Aside from not being able to work for an undetermined time, everyday tasks like putting on clothes, not to mention household chores, will be a challenge for Leukhardt.

"This isn't going to be an easy thing for the family," Wilson said. "There's always things that need to be done. It's kind of overwhelming."

Leukhardt is described as a dedicated family man with a keen interest in coaching youth sports.

"He's selfless, giving of every bit of his time to kids who want to play baseball," said Deehr, whose son has played for Leukhardt for four years. The team is in the midst of its fall season and has a doubleheader Saturday.

"It's his life," said Vince Rizzo, Leukhardt's next-door neighbor and one of three assistant coaches.

Jamie Baker, secretary for Lake Villa Township Baseball, said Leukhardt has been a great asset as a volunteer coach.

"He's now a manager of one of our travel teams, where his enthusiasm for the game and helping kids has made him a coach the players really enjoy playing for and the families appreciate," Baker said.