April 23, 2024
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Over $11,000 raised in 24 hours for Homer Glen father and son in car accident

Orland Park man arrested for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, using wrong lane on turn and DUI

By Denise M. Baran-Unland
Jayden Bruno, 12, of Homer Glen, is pictured with his mother Shelley Swiderski. Jayden and his father Jared Bruno were involved in a head-on collision Saturday night after they left football practice. Friends are raising money for medical expenses through GoFundMe.

Jayden Bruno, 12, of Homer Glen, is pictured with his mother Shelley Swiderski. Jayden and his father Jared Bruno were involved in a head-on collision Saturday night after they left football practice. Friends are raising money for medical expenses through GoFundMe. (Photo provided)

A GoFundMe page for a student at Hadley Middle School in Homer Glen and his father has raised more than $11,000 since its creation on Sunday.

Candice Bielski, a member of the board of directors for the Homer Stallions, said Jayden Bruno, 12, and his father Jared Bruno were involved in a head-on collision on Saturday night shortly after they had left football practice at the MegaPlex Sports Center in Homer Glen.

William Leffew, 44, of Scotsglen Street in Orland Park was arrested and charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, using the wrong lane on a turn and DUI, according to Kathy Hoffmeyer, spokeswoman for the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

After he was treated at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Jayden was airlifted to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of in Chicago, Hoffmeyer said. He has a broken leg and broken bones in his face, and is recovering from a small brain bleed, Bielski said.

Jared, 47, of Homer Glen, who was driving, was transported from Silver Cross to Loyola with multiple facial fractures, according to Hoffmeyer. Bielski said Jared may need reconstructive surgery.

Jared Bruno, 47, of Homer Glen, along with his son Jayden Bruno, 12, was involved in a head-on collision Saturday night after they left football practice. Friends are raising money for medical expenses through GoFundMe.

Jared Bruno, 47, of Homer Glen, along with his son Jayden Bruno, 12, was involved in a head-on collision Saturday night after they left football practice. Friends are raising money for medical expenses through GoFundMe. (Photo provided)

Bielski said her son and Jared had played flag football together with the Homer Stallions and had just started tackle football. Their football practice was held later on Saturday night due to the challenges of scheduling during the pandemic she said.

Hoffmeyer said deputies from the Will County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene at 11:47 p.m. They saw a 2008 Mercedes on 159th Street in the westbound left turn lane and a 2015 Hyundai Tucson on 159th facing east in the westbound left turn lane. The front ends of both vehicles were heavily damaged, Hoffmeyer said.

Bielski said Jayden’s mom, Shelley Swiderski, said Jayden was initially coherent after the accident.

“He handed his phone to a bystander and said, ‘Please call my mom,’” Bielski said.

Bielski said Swiderski said Jayden had a seizure in the ambulance, which the brain bleed may have caused.

“They put a breathing tube in him (at the hospital) and sedated him, trying to let the body heal itself,” Bielski said.

Jayden’s breathing tube was removed on Monday but he is still in a lot of pain, according to Monday’s update on the “Help Jayden & Jared Bruno” GoFundMe page.

“They’re also still monitoring the brain bleed,” Bielski said. “Obviously he is going to be there for a couple of days.”

Bielski said she started the GoFundMe page after having a conversation with other board members of the Homer Stallions about the best way to help the family cover their medical expenses and lost work time.

“Mom is going to have to take time off work,” Bielski said, adding that Swiderski has been staying with Jayden at Lurie’s.

Jayden Bruno, 12, of Homer Glen, and his father Jared Bruno were involved in a head-on collision Saturday night after they left football practice. Friends are raising money for medical expenses through GoFundMe.

Jayden Bruno, 12, of Homer Glen, and his father Jared Bruno were involved in a head-on collision Saturday night after they left football practice. Friends are raising money for medical expenses through GoFundMe. (Photo provided)

Hoffmeyer said initial reports indicated that Leffew had turned onto 159th from Parker Road and was traveling in the wrong lane.

Leffew agreed to a field sobriety test at the scene. He was taken to the Will County jail and then to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox after a medical exam, Hoffmeyer said.

At Silver Cross, Leffew was treated for a broken clavicle, released to deputies and transported back to jail, Hoffmeyer said.

To donate to the “Help Jayden & Jared Bruno” GoFundMe page, visit bit.ly/3sGMIKm.