Man charged in hit-and-run that injured 7-year-old girl in St. Charles area
A man who was on probation for a 2017 conviction for driving while his license was suspended has been charged with a hit-and-run that seriously injured a 7-year-old girl riding her bicycle Sunday in St. Charles Township.
Brian J. Quartuccio, 42, of the 35W0-99 block of Oak Drive, St. Charles Township, turned himself in to the Kane County sheriff's office about 12:15 p.m. Monday after authorities said he was a "person of interest" in the crash that injured Lexi Hanson, who was flown to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge with potentially life-threatening injuries.
A black Dodge pickup truck was found a few blocks from the crash scene near the intersection of Geneva and Courier avenues, authorities said.
Quartuccio is charged with felony leaving the scene/failure to report death or injury and two felony counts of driving while license revoked, along with no insurance and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. If convicted, he faces a punishment ranging from probation to up to 10 years in prison.
Quartuccio's bail amount and next court date were not immediately available.
According to Kane County court records, Quartuccio pleaded guilty May 3, 2018, to a felony charge of driving while license suspended stemming from a traffic stop in Batavia on April 17, 2017. His license was suspended for "reckless homicide," but the charging documents did not contain additional information.
Judge James Hallock had sentenced Quartuccio to a year of probation, scheduled to end May 30, 2019, along with 300 hours of community service and $1,880 in fines and court costs, records show. Quartuccio was due in court June 10 after prosecutors filed an order to revoke his probation, arguing he had not completed all his community service, records show.
A phone message left with defense attorney Andrew Nickel, who represented Quartuccio in the 2017 case, was not immediately returned.
By Monday, relatives of the injured second-grade girl had launched a GoFundMe petition with the goal of reaching $100,000 for her medical expenses.
Lexi's aunt, Jenny Ostrowski, said Lexi's parents did not wish to speak to reporters now but had an updated message to share.
"Thank you for the outpouring of love, well wishes and prayers. It has been felt and much needed," read part of the update, which urged people to share the petition with others. "As far as our Lexi, she has a long road ahead of her but should come out of this very strong, with some bumps and bruises, but come through this nonetheless. And let me share, she has not lost a bit of her sweetness or sass! Truly from the bottom of our hearts, thank you!"