Brian Quartuccio Charged In Crash That Injured St. Charles 7-Year-Old
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Brian Quartuccio, who police say took off after hitting a 7-year-old girl riding her bike Sunday in St. Charles, has been charged with multiple felonies, authorities say.
Quartuccio, 42, turned himself in to investigators around noon. Police said he quickly became a person of interest because he dropped his wallet with his ID after he ditched the truck and took off.
"Central Kane County is a relatively small knit community. He did feel a lot of pressure," said Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain. "We were aware he was reaching out to friends in the area, and I think some of that pressure from friends, telling him that, 'Look, this has gotten way too big. Your picture is all over. It's time to turn yourself in.'"
Quartuccio was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury, driving on a revoked license, driving an uninsured motor vehicle and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. The first two alleged offenses are felonies.
The child, whose first name is Lexi, is recovering at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. Her family said she has multiple broken bones but is expected to recover. Her family has set up a GoFundMe account to help raise money to cover the medical expenses.
Family members have not provided the girl's last name to the media.
Police said just after 1 p.m., a black Dodge pickup struck the girl on Geneva and Courier avenues. Neighbors said she was on her way to play with a friend.
The person in the truck fled the scene, but the truck was later found abandoned about a mile and a half away from the scene. Police believe the driver fled on foot.
Police later identified Quartuccio as the person of interest. He lives in the area near where the crash occurred, according to police.
Records show Quartuccio has three drunk driving arrests and has been cited three times for driving with a revoked license. He has also been cited five times for driving without insurance and has been given at least seven speeding tickets.
"The laws are in place. The suspensions and revocations occur, and we do all we can through traffic enforcement to try and get them off the roadway. But at the end of the day it's a choice by a person to get behind the wheel when they're not supposed to and he made that choice," said Hain.
Neighbor Matthew Hadley joined others in the community to send positive thoughts to the girl's family.
"My heart and prayer is with you," Hadley said. "I hope everything turns out for the best, and I hope that whoever did this gets brought to justice."
Witnesses said Lexi was left lying on the ground after the vehicle sped away.
Judy Nesbitt said she talked to Quartuccio just minutes before he turned himself in at the Kane County Sheriff's Office.
"He was smoking a cigarette, as I was, and he looked pretty distraught," said Judy Nesbitt. "He was crying, and I asked him if he was OK and he said, 'No.' And I asked him if he needed a hug, and he said, 'Yeah.' I had no idea what he was going in for. All he said was he was turning himself in."