Serhii Dushenko, who was critically injured in a July car crash in Oak Lawn that led to drunken driving charges against another driver, died Sept. 10, his family said.
Dushenko’s 3-year-old son, Matthew, was killed in the July 16 crash at the intersection of 95th Street and Ridgeland Avenue.
Paul Sutton, 43, of South Holland, was charged with drunken driving and speeding at more than 100 mph when he crashed into the family’s minivan, police said. He has since been indicted on charges of aggravated drunken driving and reckless homicide, and is scheduled to appear at the Bridgeview Courthouse on Thursday.
Tetiana Dushenko said she’s at a loss for words after losing her husband just weeks after the death of her youngest son.
“She lost her youngest son and her husband, who was always by her side and always there for her,” said the Rev. Vasyl Sendeha, priest at Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Palos Park, who is also a family friend.
Tetiana Dushenko said Serhii woke up at 4 a.m. Sept. 10 with chills and got out of bed to try to move and warm himself up. Suddenly, he collapsed and was breathing heavily, she said. Tetiana said she called 911 and paramedics tried to revive him.
Serhii, 35, of the 6100 block of W. 82nd Street in Burbank, was pronounced dead at his home at 5:41 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His autopsy is still pending.
Tetiana said it wasn’t clear if his death was connected to the crash, but he had four surgeries after it. He suffered injuries to his leg, abdomen and lungs, she said.
“He was a healthy man before the accident and after the accident he wasn’t the same,” she said.
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On July 16, Tetiana was driving the family minivan and Serhii was in the front passenger seat, while their two sons were in the rear, with Matthew strapped into a car seat, Sendeha said.
Daniel, 7, was not injured, his mother suffered cuts from glass and Serhii had to be extracted from the vehicle and had severe injuries to his left leg. At Matthew’s funeral, Serhii had a walking boot on and used a walker.
Tetiana said Serhii was her biggest support after the crash and Matthew’s death.
“He was the world for her and not it’s all gone,” Sendeha said.
The couple met at a nightclub in their hometown near Ternopil in Ukraine, Tetiana said. They moved to the United States nine years ago after they won a Green Card lottery, she said.
Serhii worked as a truck mechanic and owned an auto shop business in Lemont, she said.
He was always positive and calm, Tetiana said, which is one of the many things she’ll miss about Serhii.
“I’ll miss everything. His smile. His embrace,” Tetiana said.
Funeral details were pending Friday as arrangements are made for Serhii’s parents from Ukraine to attend, Sendeha said.