Braidwood Couple Says Tattoo Shop Mocked Paralyzed Crash Victim After Bad Review

ROMEOVILLE, IL — A Braidwood woman was reduced to tears after she says a Romeoville tattoo and piercing shop lashed out at her for a negative review, mocking a car crash that left her boyfriend paralyzed, with limited arm movement and no movement in his hands and legs. Paige Lutes said she made the hourlong drive to Wasted Youth Tattoo and PMA Piercing in Romeoville to see piercer Gregory Charles two days in a row last week with the intention of having a piercing done.

Lutes said she was turned away the first time because it was 40 minutes until closing time, and told to come back the next day. She said she did just that, but was again turned away by Charles, who "denied doing the piercing I wanted again, saying my others were under stress and he didnt like the ear I wanted it done on," Lutes said in a Facebook review.

The Wasted Youth and PMA Piercing page responded to Lutes' admittedly negative review by choosing the "haha" Facebook reaction. This sparked some back-and-forth between Lutes and Charles, whose Facebook page lists him as owner/piercer at the shop. It also prompted Lutes' boyfriend to respond with a one-star review of his own. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Lutes said that while at Wasted Youth, she had mentioned to Charles that her boyfriend, Kyle Jensen, was in a serious car crash over the summer. She said Jensen was on his way to work in the early morning hours after a long night preparing for a move, and dozed off behind the wheel. The crash broke Jensen's neck and fractured his skull. On a GoFundMe page for Jensen, Lutes said he was told he would "never be able to move below his injury level." Since then, he's regained some movement in his arms and the ability to breathe on his own, but remains unable to move his hands or legs.

Lutes said she was shocked when she saw how Wasted Youth/PMA Piercing responded to Jensen's one-star review. "Awww, you've never been a client and want to leave a poor review because your girl friend isn't happy we wouldn't pierce her after she wasn't taking care of her previous piercings," a comment from the business said. "Or is this just you falling asleep and hitting a tree again?"

When an angry Lutes called the shop out on the mocking response, the Wasted Youth page responded, "But you were the one suggesting yesterday the story of falling asleep wasn't true, along with not mentioning he was paralyzed from it... But it's OK you had him leave another unjust review much like yours."

Charles also stood behind the mocking "haha" reaction to Lutes' review.

"We used the laughing face being (face palm) was unavailable," he wrote. "But yes, it is on the piercer to do what they feel is right even if a client wants something. You know the whole trained professional thing... We aren't Burger King, it's not always your way. And we won't do procedures we don't find to be safe."

Lutes acknowledges she responded with anger, pointing out that her boyfriend had previously visited Wasted Youth/PMA Piercings: "He's actually been in the shop before but way to make fun of someone who is now paralysed from an accident you piece of s***."

"I usually am not like that," she told Patch. "I was in shock," she said, adding it horrified her to see someone she loved being mocked for his paralysis. She also questioned the professionalism of replying to a bad business review with mockery. "It was a negative review, businesses get them all the time," Lutes said.

Charles, whose Facebook page also lists him as the co-owner of Lockport Tattoo Company, 171 Printing and a guitarist for the band WHUT?, said Lutes' complaint was unjust.

"I didn't feel comfortable doing the piercing," he said, adding Lutes' existing piercings looked swollen and irritated. "What we wanted her to do is come back in a week after she started taking care of them again," Charles said. "We have the right to refuse service to anybody. We were only doing so out of concern."

Charles said he responded after Lutes' negative review and several other one-star reviews came in, including the one posted by Jensen. Charles said he believes it was Lutes, not her boyfriend, who posted the review from Jensen's Facebook page.

He said the comment to Jensen — "is this just you falling asleep and hitting a tree again?"— was intended as a slam against Lutes.

"We were not aware of his situation," Charles said of Jensen's injury. "For that our heart goes out to him," he said. "We would not wish that on anyone."

He said while he stands behind the remarks to Lutes, "I would totally apologize to (Jensen). We did not intend that as a jab against him."

Charles also chalked up the incident as a late-night Facebook dustup. "We generally try taking the high road. Normally we'll reach out to a client and try to resolve whatever problems ... I personally think the whole thing unfolded on Facebook at 2, 3 in the morning," he added, saying he would have preferred to respond to the incident "through clearer lenses."

Lutes, who said she won't be back at Wasted Youth/PMA Piercing, anticipates the road to recovery for Jensen will be a long one.

"We all remained hopeful things would get better since his spinal cord was not severed but the recovery is of course slow with something like this," she said on Jensen's GoFundMePage. "He has since overcame the expectations and is breathing on his own as well as moving his arms. He still has no hand or leg movement but we are asking for everyone to keep him in your prayers, hopes and thoughts."

As of late Monday, the one-star reviews remained online, but Wasted Youth's comment to Jensen had been deleted and an apology was posted in its place, saying "Kyle, We sincerely apologize for any comments directed towards you. We felt Paige was using your FB to leave a review and commented to the fact she told us she didn't believe your story of what happened. We were not aware of your full situation, what had all happened or the outcome from it. It was uncalled for and we are sorry."

Image via GoFundMe