A 64-year-old Hobart man has died from injuries he sustained when his ultralight glider plane crashed on Aug. 22.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office identified him as Daniel Silich, of the 800 block of Liverpool Road.
He died Sept. 4 at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Silich’s glider crashed at South LaSalle and 3rd streets on the city’s west side. The medical examiner listed the crash time as 3:41 p.m., but Hobart Fire Department Lt. John Reitz said officials believe the crash happened later in the evening.
Reitz said authorities think Silich’s plane veered into Northern Indiana Public Service Co. power lines just north of LaSalle and 3rd streets in a utility easement.
He said family members contacted authorities when a tracker device on the plane stopped working and they didn’t know where Silich was.
Reitz said authorities located the wreckage and Silich was airlifted to the University of Chicago.
The medical examiner’s office said toxicology screens were negative.
According to an obituary, Silich was a 1978 graduate of Hobart High School and was a member of Sons of American Legion and the Eagles FOP.
He worked as a millwright at U.S. Steel and retired after 30 years in 2021.
His obituary said he was known as “Farmer Dan” or “Corn Man Dan.” He sold sweet corn every summer and did snow plowing in the winter.
He’s survived by wife Cyndy Merry-Silich, three children, five grandchildren and four siblings.
