Bollingbrook teen Kaylee Pannek is fighting to recover from severe injuries after a driver struck her on her bike in the early morning of Sunday, August 29.
At 4:10 am, Pannek was biking east in a crosswalk in the north leg of the intersection of Route 53 and Boughton Road in the southwest suburb, according to the Bolingbrook Police Department. The intersection, located near the DuPage River Greenway, has seven lanes in each direction and no pedestrian refuge islands.
The driver of a Ford F250 pickup truck was heading north when they struck Pannek, police said. The motorist stopped and called 911. Pannek was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.
The driver told police that they had the green light at the time of the crash, but no independent witnesses have confirmed this, police said. The collision is under investigation and no citations have been issued at this time.
Pannek is junior in high school and a member of Bolingbrook High's cross-country team. Coach John Sullivan tweeted that "She is in ICU, sedated, stable condition, multiple fractures, including shattered pelvis."
A GoFundMe page has been established to help cover Pannek's medical expenses and has raised more than $16,000 out of a $20,000 goal. Helen Nowobilski, a colleague of Pannek's mother Jacqui, who works as a nurse, who set up the page, wrote, "With outstanding medical bills while Kaylee recovers, this amount will give the Pannek family a head start to a long road of recovery for their sweet Kaylee. Please keep Kaylee and her family in your prayers."
