Lockport man, 20, left with spinal injuries in crash near McHenry

Shane Callahan was on his way with friends to a pumpkin patch in McHenry County on Oct. 7 when “the next thing he knew, everything was chaos,” his brother Devan Callahan said.

According to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, about 11:39 a.m. that day, a black Ford Focus driven by a 22-year-old Homer Glen man was traveling north on Spring Grove Road north of McHenry when the driver tried to make a left turn onto Miller Road.

Shane Callahan, 20, of Lockport was a backseat passenger of an Infiniti Q50 that was traveling south on Spring Grove Road when the other car turned in front of them, causing the crash, authorities said. The Homer Glen driver was cited for failure to yield.

Everyone in both cars, six people total, was taken to area hospitals. Shane Callahan was taken by air ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with spinal injuries.

Those injuries, Devan Callahan said, include a fractured T3 vertebrae, a T4 vertebrae slipped out of place and a C1 vertebrae with a nondisplaced fracture.

“It is a long road for recovery for him and and his family, too,” Devan Callahan said.

Shane Callahan has some intermittent feeling in his legs and is now at Chicago’s Shirley Ryan Ability Lab “trying to get him to be more independent and doing things on his own,” Devan Callahan said.

Shane and Devan have another brother, Aidan – they are triplets.

Right now, Devan Callahan said, the focus is on getting Shane better and getting him home. It remains unknown whether his injuries will mean permanent loss of function or whether the injuries will be temporary.

“What we do know is that Shane is super strong and really resilient,” Devan said. “He is working as hard as he can, holding onto his faith and praying.”

Devan set up a GoFundMe to help cover Shane’s medical bills. The family doesn’t know when he will be able to come home, but Devan said they are aware changes might have to happen for his long-term recovery at their mother’s house, where they still live.

“We are taking it one day at a time and seeing how he progresses and gets better,” Devan said. “The whole family is grateful for the support – not even just the monetary aspect, but the prayers and well wishes and good thoughts for Shane. That goes a long way.”