ROCKFORD – The young father who survived the crash that took his pregnant wife and unborn son is out of the hospital, but their 4-year-old daughter remains in treatment for brain injuries and a cracked hip.

DJ Johnson, 27, of Polo, was released from treatment at MercyHealth Hospital-Rockton Avenue on Saturday night, but has been allowed to stay in a room to be with Kylia, who is in the pediatric unit, often in induced sleep as her brain works to heal, DJ’s dad, Dan Johnson of Milledgeville, said Monday.

Physically, DJ is beginning to heal too, but the emotional wounds are raw and fresh.

“As I sit here awake wiping the tears from my eyes, all I can wonder is why were you taken from me this early? I would have traded spots with you in a heartbeat if I would have known you would have lived,” he wrote on his Facebook page in the early morning hours Saturday.

“I loved you so much. I do not know how I will do any of this without you or Oliver. Please give me strength. I do not know how I will be able to do this at all ... I love you always and forever my best friend.”

The couple had named their baby Oliver Daniel Michael Johnson.

Dan Johnson, who likened Kylia’s brain injury to a severe concussion, noted that she will need long-term treatment at the Rice Rehabilitation Center in Chicago, but the doctor has been encouraging.

“The doctor said a young brain can regenerate the damaged cells ... when you’re 4 years old, you’re growing new brain cells all the time ... it could be weeks, it could be months,” but “with time and prayer,” she’s on the mend, he said.

Sarah, DJ and Kylia were nearly home from her 35-week check-in with her Sterling obstetrician on Dec. 11 when their car hit a patch of ice on snowy state Route 26 around 3:45 p.m. and slid into the path of an oncoming pickup truck.

Sarah, 26, was in the front passenger seat, the side that collided with the pickup.

All three were taken to KSB Hospital, where Sarah and her unborn son Oliver were pronounced dead.

Sarah’s large, tight-knit family, the Sundquists, have been at DJ and Kylia’s side through it all, Dan Johnson said.

“They’re a big family, a loving family, they always do things together,” he said. “The waiting room has turned into their grieving room.”

Usually, when there’s a tragedy like this, there’s a home where people come and go, but the waiting room has become “the grief room, and the hope room,” he said.

Dan and his wife, Sonia, share their son’s pain.

“We’re missing a beautiful daughter and grandson we didn’t get to meet,” he said.

In addition to a GoFundMe campaign, an account has been established at a local bank to help DJ with medical and other expenses.

In 1 week, nearly $14,000 of a $30,000 has been raised at gofundme.com.

In addition, First State Bank Shannon-Polo-Lake Carroll is taking donations at all its branches.

DJ, whose given name is Daryl Allan Johnson, works at Exelon in Byron, is a volunteer firefighter with the Polo Fire Department and a military police officer with the Army Reserve who also served in Afghanistan.

Sarah, who was an assistant manager at Walmart in Freeport, grew up in Lanark and graduated from Eastland High School in 2009. She and DJ were high school sweethearts who had just celebrated their seventh anniversary on Dec. 4.

Sarah also is survived by her parents, Mike and Gayle Hall of Shannon; sisters Jennifer Sundquist of Freeport, Kati Shaw of Vesper, Wisconsin, Kaye Nichols of Wahiawa, Hawaii and Leah Balabuszko of Wonewoc, Wisconsin; and her brothers Eric Sundquist of Winnebago, Bryan Sundquist of Chicago, and Carl Sundquist of Lanark.

Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Faith Discovery Church, with the funeral at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Crossroads Community Church, both in Polo. Burial will be in Fairmount Cemetery in Polo, followed by a luncheon at Crossroads

Polo Family Funeral home is handling arrangements. Go to polofamilyfuneralhome.com for the complete obituary, and to send condolences.

TO HELP

Go to gofundme.com and search for Sarah and Ollie Memorial to donate online.

In addition, donations may be mailed to First State Bank, Shannon-Polo-Lake Carroll, P.O. Box 85, Shannon, IL 61078, or dropped of at any of the three branches: 1 S. Linn St. or 24494 E. Payne Road in Shannon or 211 S. Division Ave. in Polo.

Write "For benefit of Sarah Johnson Memorial" in the memo field.