MADISON COUNTY, Ill. — A man will spend the next several years behind bars after hitting and killing a little girl and her family dog – and then leaving the scene of the crash.
Paul Broadway was sentenced to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the hit-and-run crash that happened on Aug. 31, 2020 in Godfrey, Illinois.
The incident took the life of 2-year-old Elle Grace Kiser and her family dog.
“There is no court judgment that will bring back Elle Grace and give her the future that her family still grieves over with her loss,” said Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine in a news release emailed Thursday. “We hope that this helps bring some closure for them.”
Investigators and prosecutors in Madison County said Elle Grace was playing in her yard with the dog along Delmar Avenue. Investigators said there was evidence that showed the dog ran into the street and the toddler followed. Both were hit by Broadway in his pickup truck.
Evidence showed Broadway briefly paused after the collision but then left the scene and didn’t report what happened.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Department put a plea out on social media for help identifying the truck or its driver, which led to tips that ended with Broadway’s arrest and conviction.
Broadway previously was found guilty in 2006 of aggravated reckless driving in Jersey County. He was convicted of hitting a pedestrian crossing the street in a crosswalk while speeding, the Madison County prosecutor’s office said in its release.
Broadway could have gotten anywhere from probation to eight years in prison. He also has to pay a $10,000 restitution fine.
