Lake in the Hills resident Danae Zaytz says she and her husband are lucky to be alive after what transpired Thursday night.
Danae explained that at about 5:30 p.m., she and her husband, Michael, were eating dinner at the Buffalo Wings and Rings in Crystal Lake when the driver of a Nissan Altima plowed through the front window.
""Out of nowhere this car comes barreling through the windows," Danae Zaytz recalled. "It was like a scene out of a movie."
Almost immediately, Michael Zaytz sprang into action.
"Mike shoved me, so I kind of did a step like that, and I thought he was right behind me," she stated. "I turned, and the silence was deafening."
Danae Zaytz suddenly realized her husband wasn't behind her.
"...I’m like, 'Ohh my God, where’s Mike, where's Mike?' And silence, then all of the sudden, he just starts screaming 'get it off me!' I turned into the Hulk," Danae Zaytz recounted. "The adrenaline pump is real, and I’m flinging things off of him, and he’s crushed. It was a nightmare."
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Mike Zaytz is an electrician and drummer of a band called Modern Day Romeos. He was hospitalized with a broken right leg and injuries to his tibia. In addition, doctors had to remove glass shards stuck in his leg.
Danae Zaytz said her husband won't be able to work for around three months, and with him off work, their family will "be in a pickle for a little bit."
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"...I work full time, but he’s the breadwinner and our band is the second source of income," she said. So it’s a huge loss for us."
Danae Zaytz remains by her husband's hospital bedside while he’s being monitored, and as he awaits surgery.
Mike Zaytz's bandmates have started a GoFundMe to help financially for the foreseeable future as the family deals with physical and mental trauma.
Three others were also injured when the vehicle slammed into the restaurant, but have since been released, according to Danae Zaytz. The incident remains under investigation by Crystal Lake police.