Help Kurt & Katie Heal

Around 5:15pm on September 30th, Kurt Steiner was walking with his family dog Echo on their favorite route in Chicago's Old Irving Park neighborhood. While crossing Pulaski and Berteau, they were struck in the crosswalk by a motor vehicle. After striking Kurt and Echo, the driver did not stop and fled the scene. Kurt was left injured and Echo died at the scene.

Kurt was transported to the nearest hospital. His wife Katie met him there after a neighbor helped her transport their beloved dog to the vet for afterlife preparation. At the hospital, they discovered that Kurt’s left tibia and fibula were broken near the knee, and he had a compression fracture mid-back. Initial recovery will be about six to eight weeks, and during this time Katie will be taking care of him. In the meantime, the police are still looking for the driver of the car.

If you were to look up the phrase “salt of the earth” on Google, Kurt and Katie’s pictures would appear. These newlywed college sweethearts are kind, caring, genuine, and all around good people. Whenever anyone has needed anything, Kurt and Katie are the first people to jump in and say “How can I help?”. They’re the kind of people that you hope your child will be when they grow up. They are always giving back to their community and neighborhood in some way. Now, Kurt and Katie need help and we are hoping that they can be shown the same kindness that they have always shown others. This GoFundMe is being created, with their consent, to help them with their expenses related to this accident while they focus on healing from the physical and emotional pain that it has caused them both.

Any money that exceeds this requested amount will be donated to the Cardona-Rios family who recently lost their toddler Hermes in an unrelated hit-and-run accident a few blocks north of Kurt’s accident on October 3rd, 2022.

Additionally, we are also seeking the public’s help in finding the driver of the vehicle. Katie has been incredible. While she has been taking care of Kurt, she and a friend canvassed the scene of the accident with fliers, reaching out to any home or business that has surveillance cameras. She was able to view some footage that shows the hit-and-run from a distance, and as the car fled south, was clear enough to show that the car that struck Kurt and Echo is a Mercury Grand Marquis in either grey, tan, or green. The surveillance showed the car in a shadow, so the exact color and license plate is hard to read. The car did appear to have a City Sticker in the window that resembled the one needed for residents to park in Chicago. Anyone who may have any information about this vehicle or its driver is encouraged to call [phone redacted] and reference report JF 416 936.

Any donations or insight into the accident that you may be able to provide will be able to help this family immensely.