The Harrison District police lieutenant critically injured in a Dec. 19 car crash believed to be caused by a drunken driver has been upgraded to serious condition, a hospital spokesman said Thursday.
Late Wednesday, Lt. John Risley, 45, was taken off of a ventilator and is now breathing without assistance, police spokesman Pat Camden said. “That’s a big improvement, so naturally we’re happy about it,” he said.
Risley had initially been upgraded to serious condition on Christmas Eve, but took a turn for the worse on Tuesday and was downgraded to critical, Mt. Sinai Hospital Medical Center spokesman Joel Schatz said. After being stabilized, Risley remains serious. “He still has a way to go in his recovery,” Schatz said.
Sean Fagan, 22, of Elm Grove, Wis., has been charged with felony driving under the influence in connection with the two-car crash that injured Risley and his colleague, Sgt. Edward Kulbida. Fagan remains in serious but stable condition in Cook County Hospital.
Kulbida was treated for a broken ankle and a fractured pelvis. The officers were eastbound on Harrison Street at 1:10 a.m. Dec. 19 when their unmarked patrol car was hit by the sport-utility vehicle Fagan was driving at Sacramento Boulevard, police said.
