Carpenters, Area Trades Aid Carpentersville Father and Family

CARPENTERSVILLE, Ill. (WLS) —

Northwest suburban Carpentersville residents have banded together after a local husband, father and coach lost his legs in a parasailing accident. The Local Carpenters Union, plumbers, electricians and more completely remodeled his home in less than two weeks – just in time for him to come home. Disabled man viewing new home being built

About six weeks ago, Henry Owens took what was supposed to be a fun family parasailing trip in Myrtle Beach. He slipped into the water and his legs got caught in the boat propeller. Doctors had to amputate.

“When this first happened to us, we had no idea what we were going to do as far as our house, how we were going to get it modified,” he said.

“How is he going to get into the house? How is he going to sleep because our bedroom is upstairs. How is he going to use the bathroom?” wondered his wife, Melloney Owens.

But after seeing ABC7’s story on Henry’s journey, organized labor got organized to help. The local carpenters union called first.

Keith Jutkins on the news“Everyone knows what the right thing was to do is to help this individual that had a tragic accident, and at least put him in his own home to have some dignity living in his own home,” said Keith Jutkins, vice president of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters.

Read the full story HERE at ABC7Chicago.

 

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