Police: Driver questioned, not charged in Mount Prospect hit-and-run of man in wheelchair
A 22-year-old Mount Prospect woman has been interviewed and released without charges in connection with a hit-and-run crash Wednesday that seriously injured a man in a wheelchair, police said Thursday.
According to police, the 54-year-old Des Plaines man was crossing Elmhurst Road in Mount Prospect about 1:56 p.m. Wednesday when struck by a vehicle, which then was driven away.
A GoFundMe online fundraiser created by the man's niece, Tianna Tyler of Des Plaines, had raised $4,500 of its $50,000 goal by late Thursday afternoon.
"My uncle, Marc Giolli, was seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident while crossing the street in his wheelchair," Tyler wrote on the fundraiser page. "He suffers from spina bifida and is a paraplegic. As you can imagine, his daily life is already challenging. My uncle also battles depression and one thing that always helps him out of his slump is to enjoy the sunshine."
Mary Tyler, Giolli's sister and Tianna's mother, said her brother has been stabilized but remains in critical condition. He is able to communicate with family during periodic breaks from his pain medication.
"He lives at my dad's house and he was heading back there," Mary Tyler said. "He's a great person, social, finds the good in everyone and wants to help others."
Giolli was born with spina bifida, but it didn't have a significant impact on his life until his teenage years, his sister said. He worked as an accountant earlier in his life and began using a wheelchair about 15 years ago as his health problems grew.
The $50,000 goal of the family's GoFundMe page is an estimate at this point, Mary Tyler said. The campaign was started after they inferred from their conversations with police that the driver's insurance might not cover all the medical costs her brother will face.
"He was left with a broken pelvis and knee, shattered ribs and a punctured lung, and a deep head wound with internal brain bleeding," Tianna Tyler wrote. "We will be faced with numerous hospital bills and after he is released, he will be staying in a rehabilitation center until he is in good health."
Witnesses told Mount Prospect police that a black Chevrolet struck Giolli on Elmhurst Road south of Huntington Commons Road, then continued south on Elmhurst Road with damage to its front end and windshield.
Giolli was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for treatment.
Police reported that the Chevrolet and its driver were located in an apartment complex near Elmhurst Road and Oakton Street shortly after the crash.
The Major Crash Investigation Team of the Mount Prospect Police Department is continuing to investigate. Mount Prospect Police Officer Greg Sill asked that anyone with information relevant to the crash contact the police department at (847) 870-5656.
"He is such a caring person and always putting others before himself," Tianna Tyler wrote about her uncle. "Not to mention, he is also the biggest animal lover. His heart is so big and he brings so much joy to our family. This will be a long road, as my uncle is also an amputee, so recovery and adjusting back to daily life will be a challenge to say the least."