Vet, 77, In Intensive Care And Declining Condition After Being Struck In Morton Grove Hit-And-Run
PARK RIDGE, Ill. (CBS) -- A 77-year-old Vietnam veteran was in intensive care Tuesday, two weeks after a driver hit him in Morton Grove and didn't stop.
CBS 2's Marissa Parra sat down with the man's family members, who are desperate to find answers.
Eric Gluck can't help but smile when he pulls up a photo of his father.
"You see how happy he is here? That's the way he always is," Gluck said.
Gluck's father's given name is Gerson Gluck, but they call him "Gig."
"He's a happy-go-lucky guy," the younger Gluck said.
But two weeks after the hit-and-run, those smiles are nowhere to be seen.
Two days before Thanksgiving, Gig Gluck was crossing Menard Avenue in Morton Grove as a car approached.
"My dad said they honked," Eric Gluck said. "He didn't get across in time, so it clipped his leg."
The Vietnam veteran's leg was left broken in two places, and he was unable to move from the street.
"It was raining, cold that night," Eric Gluck said. "He lay and screamed till someone came and got him."
Gig Gluck has been in the hospital ever since, and his condition has only gotten worse.
"Since then, he has developed an issue with swallowing. He can't swallow. He can't eat. He can't drink," Eric Gluck said. "I really thought that was the end."
Police say they've got nothing – no suspect, no witnesses, no photos, no doorbell cameras.
"I might be even-keeled in this interview," Eric Gluck said. "Inside, there's a lot of anger and frustration, believe me."
The Glucks have exhausted all efforts, but they haven't given enough hope. Eric Gluck remains hope that his children's grandfather will make it to the holidays – and that whoever has the answers will come forward.
Two weeks after the hit-and-run, Gig Gluck remained at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge in the intensive care unit.
