Officials say St. Charles death was caused by fall

A St. Charles man who died last month after being found unconscious in the middle of the road likely fell over in a state of drunkenness and hit his head, authorities testified during an inquest Wednesday.

John Hultgren, 54, died July 29, five days after firefighters found him sprawled out and face-up with a six-pack of beer between his legs on the 500 block of West State Street.

St. Charles Police Detective Christie Widlarz testified no weapons or evidence were found at the scene to explain a gash toward the rear top of Hultgren's head, which ultimately caused his death.

"It looked like he had sat down in the road and just fell backward," she said. "There were no weapons, no evidence of an attack."

A Kane County coroner's jury ruled Hultgren's death undetermined after hearing testimony that only speculated as to how he was hurt.

Chief Deputy Coroner Loren Carrera said Hultgren was highly intoxicated July 24 when he was found about 10:15 p.m. He responded briefly to paramedics, she said, but could not explain what happened.

Police believe Hultgren was either standing or sitting when he fell over and hit his head, possibly on the road, a telephone pole or some other structure. The gash caused cranial bleeding, leading to death from blunt force trauma, an autopsy found.

Last month, police asked the public for help in piecing together the events leading up to Hultgren's death.

Widlarz said residents on West State Street did not report any unusual activity or sounds that night.

The death investigation since has been closed.