Family Of Geneva High Grad Killed In Crash Files Lawsuit

'GENEVA, IL – The family of a 19-year-old Geneva man killed in fiery crash in St. Charles Township last fall has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his friend, Raphael P. Peruzza, 20, who was allegedly behind the wheel at the time, the Daily Herald reports. Nicholas Hanson's parents filed the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, last week.

Peruzza has been charged with aggravated DUI, reckless homicide, driving in the wrong lane and driving too fast for conditions in connection with the early morning crash on Oct. 8. Authorities were initially called to the area of Burr Road near Dean Street for a report of a vehicle that went off the road and into some trees at about 2:20 a.m., the Kane County Chronicle reports.

Authorities wrote in the sheriff's report, which the Daily Herald obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, that they found Peruzza who asked police to "help my friend" and then located Hanson trapped inside the burning 2000 Jeep Cherokee. Peruzza allegedly admitted to drinking earlier in the night, according to a Kane County Sheriff's Office report.

The lawsuit, which names Peruzza and David Beaune, owner of the 2000 Jeep Cherokee, as defendants does not cite alcohol impairment as a reason behind Peruzza's negligence. The suit states Peruzza was speeding and didn't slow down before the vehicle went off the roadway and hit a tree, the Daily Herald reports.

Peruzza was taken to Northwestern Delnor Hospital with injuries that were not considered life threatening following the crash, according to the Kane County Chronicle.

Online fundraisers were set up on the GoFundMe site to help out Hanson's family with funeral costs following the crash and also to help pay for a new scoreboard for the high school baseball field that will be dedicated to Nick.

Hanson, a 2016 graduate from Geneva High School, played baseball up until he tore his ACL, NCL and fractured his right leg during a basketball game with some friends in early 2016, his father, David Hanson, told the Kane County Chronicle. He couldn't play his senior year, but he stayed with his team and did creative things to keep them enthused.

“He ended up being a supporter even though he could not contribute to the team on the field,” David Hanson said.

Friends of the Hanson's, Michael Davis and his wife, Lynette, spearheaded the efforts to raise the $18,000 needed for the new scoreboard, according to an article earlier this year in the Kane County Chronicle.

According to the GoFundMe page, enough money has been raised and the scoreboard has been ordered.

More via the Daily Herald and Kane County Chronicle

Photo caption: Nicholas Hanson played baseball for Geneva High School/Photo credit: GoFundMe