Police: Joliet man flees crash scene after seriously injuring girl

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Updated: March 8, 2012 8:17AM

TROY TOWNSHIP — Police say a driver took off running Monday after striking a van and seriously injuring one of the young passengers.

The collision occurred around 9:30 a.m. on County Line Road near Baltz Road, Will County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said.

Juan M. Serrano-Ortega, 25, was driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck south when he approached Baltz and began turning left, “striking a Honda van head-on, causing it to roll over several times,” Hoffmeyer said.

The van’s occupants were the driver and her three children: 10- and 13-year-old sons and a 9-year-old daughter.

The van’s driver suffered a concussion. Her sons, who were helped from the vehicle by passing drivers, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Deputy Troy Fire Chief Andy Doyle said the 9-year-old girl was transported to the hospital in “advanced life support” condition. According to reports, she underwent surgery for internal injuries Monday afternoon.

Hoffmeyer said Serrano-Ortega ran from the scene.

Records show Serrano-Ortega, of 2019 Crosswind Drive in Joliet, was being sought on an arrest warrant at the time of the crash.

“He was found behind a house about a half-mile north of the crash,” Hoffmeyer said.

Serrano-Ortega was taken to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center for treatment of injuries that weren’t life-threatening.

He was arrested upon his release Monday evening and booked into the county jail on charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury or death, driving without a license, operating an uninsured vehicle and improper turning.

At press time, it had not been established whether or not alcohol played a factor in the crash.

Ambulances from the Minooka and Plainfield Fire Departments helped Troy transport the victims to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet.