Child, officer released from hospital after truck crashes into Cook County church

Child, officer released from hospital after truck crashes into Cook County church

A pickup truck slammed into a church in Palos Park on Friday afternoon, sending several people to area hospitals — including three children and two police officers.

COOK COUNTY - A pickup truck slammed into a church in Palos Park on Friday afternoon, sending several people to area hospitals — including three children and two police officers.

As of early Saturday, one child and one officer had been released from the hospital, according to police.

What we know:

The crash happened shortly after 4:30 p.m. near the intersection of 123rd Street and 86th Avenue.

According to Palos Park police, the driver of the pickup was heading east on McCarthy Road when they apparently suffered a medical emergency. The truck veered off 123rd Street, crossed 86th Avenue, and continued through the parking lot of Transfiguration Church before crashing into the building.

Three children inside the church were injured and transported to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn. Police said one child had been released as of Saturday, while the other two remained hospitalized.

Two Palos Park police officers were also hospitalized after inhaling smoke and construction debris while rescuing the children. 

One officer remained hospitalized Saturday at Palos Northwestern Hospital.

The driver of the truck was taken to Palos Northwestern, along with a church staff member who experienced a medical emergency at the scene.

"Fortunately, there weren't any severe, severe injuries, no fatalities, but we did have three kids injured. We had two teachers taken to the hospital, a couple of the cops on scene ended up going for respiratory stuff from the smoke," said Hunter Farrow, a priest at the church. 

Farrow added that it is a blessing that the church has strong support from the community.

What we don't know:

It’s unclear what caused the driver’s apparent medical emergency.

What they're saying:

"Our thoughts this early morning are with the children, families, teachers, and administrators of the Church of the Transfiguration and our injured staff members. They are a vital part of our community," the police department said. 

"We are thankful for our first responders who acted immediately to help those in need and thankful for our many partner agencies that assisted in this matter, including the Palos Fire District, Palos Heights Fire District, Orland Fire District and many Fire / EMS departments and districts that responded to the mutual aid Box alarm. The Cook County Sheriff’s Police patrol and investigative staff provided invaluable assistance and the Palos Heights Police Department, who made sure all the first responders were provided food while working the scene, and A-Auto Towing staff that spent hours working side by side with first responders.

"One note about community, tragic events like this can provide valuable lessons born from them, we saw courageous, teachers and people running toward the problem rather than away from it, we saw people being action-oriented and neighborly, reaching out, being supportive, generous and selfless. Community members offering assistance, other religious organizations in Palos Park contacting PPPD offering any assistance needed. In this chaotic event we experienced the very best of our friends and neighbors, thank you!"

What's next:

For now, the church is off-limits, but services will still be held on Sunday, just outside until the building is cleared. 

Palos Park police say the investigation is ongoing.