DUNNING — A physical education teacher at a Chicago elementary school now faces a felony charge of aggravated drunken driving in connection with a hit-and-run crash in February that injured two sisters walking to school, court records show.
Matthew Lucchini, 26, is charged with aggravated drunken driving and was ticketed for leaving the scene of an accident, failing to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk and negligent driving, court records show.
Although police first identified Lucchini as a Naperville resident, court records show he lives in North Center, within the city limits as required of most Chicago Public Schools teachers.
A message left for Lucchini, who is free on bond, was not returned.
A 7-year-old girl and her 14-year-old sister were crossing the street in the 3400 block of Austin Avenue near Newport Avenue when the crash occurred at 7:59 a.m. Feb. 16, just outside Chicago Academy, which includes both a high school and elementary school on its campus, police said.
Both girls were taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, police said. The younger girl, who was seriously injured, received several stitches in her chin. The older girl suffered minor injuries to her ankle.
Lucchini's next court date is June 15.
A study by Chicago traffic engineers found that traffic should be slowed in the area where the crash occurred by allowing rush-hour parking along Austin Avenue to force cars to travel in one lane in each direction.
But the study found that a traffic signal or stop sign were not warranted in the 3400 block of Austin Avenue near Newport Avenue.
Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) said he would support that recommendation.
Another accident occurred near Cornelia and Austin avenues March 16 when a teenage boy riding a bike lost control and struck a parked car, Villegas said.
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