Palatine boy, 5, struck, killed by car

PALATINE, Ill. (WLS) -- A 5-year-old boy was struck and killed by a car in Palatine while walking alone across Palatine Road near Winston Drive.

The child was walking on the street when he was struck by a car driven at 4:15 p.m. Monday. Palatine police said initial reports indicate the driver had just turned onto Palatine Road when the boy walked into the car's path.

"It's horrific. My heart goes out to the family and to the poor man who was driving the car," Diane Marzigliano said. The boy lived near the crash site, police said.

The driver, a 53-year-old Bartlett man, was not injured.

The child, who family members say was autistic, was taken to Northwest Community Hospital and then transported by helicopter to Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. The child died at 1:26 a.m. Tuesday.

"A lot of times they are still in their own little world. They're not aware of their surroundings. So it would not be out of the ordinary for them to walk out into the street, not being aware of cars around them," Marzigliano, who has a 19-year-old stepson with autism, said.