Help Zach stand while he turns tragedy into triumph.

On 6/12/24 Zach and Steffanie were involved in a crash at 234th Street and Cumberland Road near Cicero. The driver was deemed at fault after the crash report was completed. The driver was turning west bound while Zach and Steffanie were traveling eastbound with the right of way.  Although they were both wearing high-quality helmets, we lost Steff in the accident and Zach's helmet saved his life.  Zach was life-lined to Methodist Trauma Hospital with multiple severe injuries including the following. Brain bleed resulting in TBI Spleen bleed, Liver bleed, Multiple rib fractures, Femur broken in various spots (requiring surgery), Nose broken in two places and Septum was out of alignment (requiring surgery). Right (dominant) shoulder break, Lower back fractures, and multiple areas of road rash  He was at Methodist in the ICU before moving to another floor from 6/12- 6/22. He was then transferred to Community Hospital Acute Rehabilitation Center where he is receiving speech, occupational, and physical therapy 3x a week with a minimum of 5 days a week.  At this time we do not have a release date.  We do know he will be released requiring a wheelchair, will need outpatient physical therapy, and will be moving home with his mom and sister. The house will need to have wheelchair accessibility. Jennifer is his primary caregiver and this is requiring her to take a leave of absence from work with no pay. From the information we have so far, the driver who was responsible for this accident was driving on a suspended license and did not have auto insurance. The final criminal investigation is pending still. Zach and his fiancée Steffanie Pickett were to be married 9/14/24. This has caused Zach a large amount of physical pain, but also emotional.

I asked Jennifer a couple of days after it happened if we could make a GoFundMe, and she was hesitant. If there is one thing everyone knows about the Wentworths, it's that they rarely reach out for help. Please help me surround this family with love and support. Any and all donations would be appreciated to help the family during this time. I have known the Wentworths for 25 years and they are some of the most caring and loyal people I know. I will keep everyone updated as we find out more about Zach's recovery and possible release date.