Thomas Maloy Continues to Improve, Dad Says

Thomas Maloy, the 21-year-0ld Lorain man on Interstate 90 in Avon, continues to show improvement in his recovery, his father said.

Thomas Maloy Sr. told Avon Patch Saturday night that he was thrilled to go into his son's hospital room at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland that evening and see him sitting up in bed after physical therapy, finishing a small peanut butter sandwich.

"It may seem like a small thing, but he's getting his appetite back, and each thing he does is another step forward," Thomas Maloy Sr. said.

Maloy was listed in critical but stable condition on Sunday.

The elder Maloy said he's glad the word is getting out that his son did not die in the crash, as had said. He traced one source of the rumor to a woman making postings on at least one Facebook page. In one posting, she claimed to be a friend of the family and stated that the younger Maloy had died. Thomas Sr. said he'd asked family both in Lorain and out of state if they knew her, and no one did.

"I don't understand why she'd do something like that," he said.

What hurt, he said, was that people who really are friends of the family read and heard the rumor.

"Some people didn't call because they didn't want to bother us, believing we were making funeral plans or grieving," he said. "They said if they'd known, they would have been at the hospital."

But now that word is getting out, he's hoping friends of his son and the family continue to show support.

"We've got prayer chains going everywhere our family is," he said. "It's making a difference and we're so grateful."