Chicago Car Accident Attorneys Blog

Police have charged 48-year-old Eddie Lumpkin with aggravated DUI and reckless homicide for causing the catastrophic Chicago, Illinois car crash that claimed the life of 6-year-old girl Jada Washington and seriously injured her aunt Tiuette Richardson. The two Chicago pedestrians were crossing the street at Ashland and 74th at around 6:30 on Tuesday when they were struck by Lumpkin, who was driving a van.

According to prosecutors, the young girl’s body struck the windshield before flying into the street. Jada was pronounced dead at University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital. Richardson injured her shoulder blade and leg, as well as fractured her skull.

Authorities say that prior to the South Side auto accident Lumpkin had been ticked at least 40 times for traffic offenses. Speeding, running red lights, running stop signs, and failing to exercise caution around pedestrians were among the many violations he’d been cited for. He was convicted six times but the majority of tickets against him were dismissed.

Chicago DUI Accidents
Even though people know how dangerous it is to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, there are motorists who still get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while intoxicated or high. When this happens, the motorist becomes a danger to everyone on the road.

It is bad enough to be the victim of a pedestrian accident let alone get hurt in one that involves a drunken or drugged driver whose vision, reflexes, and ability to stop a vehicle have been severely impaired. While most drunk and drugged drivers never intend to injure or kill anyone, unfortunately there are those who end up doing just that. If his happens, you should speak with an experienced Chicago car accident lawyer right away.

As for the people who dare to drink/get high and drive, our Chicago, Illinois pedestrian accident law firm wants to remind you not to be so reckless. In a city with such good public transportation and so many hotels, there is no excuse for why you need to ever get behind the driver’s seat of a car when you are under the influence.

Prosecutors say motorist charged with DUI in child’s death had cocaine in his system, Chicago Tribune, February 19, 2010

Motorist in girl's death collected at least 40 traffic tickets, ChicagoBreakingNews, February 17, 2010

Related Web Resources:
What is Drugged Driving?, National Institute on Drug Abuse

CyberDrive Illinois

22-year-old Nick Sord is charged with aggravated drunk driving and reckless homicide for the Cook County car crash that killed his passenger early on December 31, 2008. Sord, an Orland Park restaurateur, crashed his Mercedes SUV into a pole after a night out.

The SUV drove into a ditch before partially rolling over. According to the Cook County Sheriff’s office, Sord’s BAC was nearly three times the legal limit.

Mejia, a New Lenox resident and a University of Illinois at Chicago student, sustained multiple injuries before she as pronounced dead at a Harvey Hospital. Sord was treated and later released from an Oak Lawn hospital for cuts and a broken wrist.

Sord and Mejia were formerly used to date but her mother says they broke up in August. Their families did not approve of their relationship.

Cook County Car Accident Cases
A person accused of driving drunk can face criminal charges and be sued for Cook County personal injury or wrongful death if someone was injured or killed. Driving under the influence of alcohol is extremely dangerous and destroys the lives of the victims, their families, and the drunk driver, who not only faces prison time but must live with the guilt of knowing that someone else died because of the motorist’s recklessness and carelessness.

Just last week, Ali Hosseini, a man who was charged with drunk driving after he allegedly struck a motorcyclist in 2007, now faces upgraded charges of aggravated DUI and reckless homicide after the victim died on January 2. Keith Kreinik underwent over 20 surgeries and spent over two years in treatment for the injuries he sustained during the Chicago car accident.

Hosseini, who had been free on bond, was taken back into custody. His bond was increased to $100,000. He was allegedly under the influence of heroin, alcohol, codeine, and morphine at the time of the tragic Northwest Side crash.

High alcohol level cited in fatal crash, Chicago Tribune, January 2, 2010

Man charged in fatal crash, Southtown Star, January 2, 2010

Bond raised for man accused of DUI in 2007 crash, Chicago Breaking News, January 9, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Motor Vehicle Safety, CDC

Impaired Driving, NHTSA

Nearly six months after 36-year-old Diane Schuler drove the wrong-way on the Taconic Parkway while she was allegedly drunk and high, the family of two of the eight victims that died is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against her estate. The tragic car crash, which occurred on July 26, claimed the lives of Schuler, three of her nieces, her two-year-old daughter, 81-year-old Michael Bastardi, his 49-year-old son Michael, and their friend 74-year-old Daniel Longo. Schuler’s 5-year-old son Bryan survived the wrong-way car crash with serious injuries, including severe head trauma.

The motor vehicle accident made national headlines after Schuler drove the wrong-way for nearly two miles, disregarding signs and ignoring the warnings of other drivers. According to a toxicology report, Schuler had marijuana in her system and the equivalent of 10 liquor shots in her bloodstream. She and the kids were coming home from a camping trip when the auto collision happened. A broken bottle of vodka was discovered in the minivan’s wreckage.

The wrongful death lawsuit accuses Schuler of reckless, wanton, and willful actions, driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and disregarding other motorists' warnings that she was driving her minivan the wrong-way. According to the civil complaint, the Bastardis experienced mental trauma, terror, pain, suffering, and serious personal injuries prior to their death. Schuler’s brother Warren Hance is also a wrongful death defendant. He owned the minivan that Schuler was driving.

Schuler’s husband Daniel refuses to accept autopsy findings that his wife was drunk and high. He says an undiagnosed medical problem may have caused her erratic behavior that day. However, according to one report, he told police his wife occasionally smoked pot to alleviate stress.

Suit Filed in Wrong-Way Crash That Killed 8 on Taconic, NY Times, December 10, 2009

Loyal To The End: Grieving Schuler Denies Reports, WCBSTV, August 7, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Assistant State’s Attorney John Carroll of Cook County says that Lockport Police Officer Edward Stapinski’s blood alcohol was .223 when he allegedly caused a three-auto crash on the Stevenson Expressway on Sunday night. Stapinski, 34, was not on duty when the deadly collision happened. Killed in the tragic Chicago car accident was Man K. Wong, 29.

According Illinois State Police, Stapinski was headed south on Interstate Highway 55 close to Cicero Avenue when his vehicle drove onto the left shoulder and hit the concrete median barrier. It then went over the barrier, striking Wong’s auto in a head-on crash. Next, the off-duty cop’s auto rolled over, hitting a third vehicle.

According to witnesses, the off-duty police driver was operating his vehicle at a speed of about 80 mph when the deadly Cook County car accident happened. Police who were at the scene say that the 34-year-old cop exhibited slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and smelled of alcohol. Stapinski declined to be tested for alcohol while at the crash site but he took a blood tested at the hospital where he was admitted for his injuries.

Wong was pronounced dead in Mt. Sinai Hospital. The third motorist was not injured. On Monday night, Stapinski was charged with drunken driving and reckless homicide.

Illinois Drunk Driving Accidents
While the number of Illinois drunk driving deaths has gone down (439 alcohol-related Illinois car crashes in 2007 and 362 drunk driving fatalities in 2008), drunk driving accidents continue to claim too many lives. A drunken motorist who causes a deadly car crash can be held liable for Illinois personal injury or wrongful death.

Especially during the holiday season, when people are busy going from one holiday event to the next and traveling to spend time with family, our Chicago, Illinois car accident law firm would like to remind you to refrain from driving while drunk.

Off-duty Lockport cop charged with reckless homicide, DUI, Chicago Tribune, December 22, 2009

Lockport Officer Was 3 Times Legal Limit, WBBM780, December 22, 2009

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces Intensive Holiday Drunk & Impaired Driving Crackdown & Advertising Blitz, NHTSA, December 7, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Fatalities and Fatality Rates in Alcohol- Impaired-Driving Crashes by State, 2007-2008, NHTSA, December 2009 (PDF)

DUI Information for Adults, Illinois State Police

Police have arrested one of the drivers involved in Sunday’s Park Ridge car accident with aggravated DUI. If convicted, Ibrahim Y. Yaro, a Chicago resident, could face up to 28 years in prison.

The deadly Cook County car crash in the Chicago suburb took place after 2am at Riverside Drive and Oakton Street. Killed in the Park Ridge traffic accident where Des Plaines resident Younan Chalabi, 25, and Morton Grove resident Christine Merza, 37. The two of them where passengers in the Mercedes that was involved in the Illinois car wreck with a Nissan.

According to the Nissan’s driver, she had a green light when her car drove into the intersection. Her auto hit the Mercedes’s passenger side. The drivers of the Nissan and the Mercedes and two other passengers were taken to hospitals for non-life threatening injuries.

Aggravated driving under the influence charges were filed in another Chicago area car accident. The Chicago car crash took place on the North Side on August 1 at around 3:25am at the Wilson and Ashland avenues intersection.

47-year-old Raquel Wright was charged with aggravated DUI causing the accidental death of Alexander Foamette, a 24-year-old motorcyclist. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office says that Foamette died from multiple injuries.

At the Chicago motorcycle accident site, Wright reportedly told police she didn’t see the motorcyclist. She accused the rider of red light running. After she failed a field sobriety test she was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center for further testing.

Lisa Hofstra, the charge nurse at the Chicago hospital, says that the police officer that asked her to perform the blood test falsely arrested her when she told him that Wright need to be checked into the facility. Hofstra filed a Chicago police brutality lawsuit accusing the cop and the city of Chicago of civil rights violations.

DUI charges filed in fatal crash which sparked lawsuit against city, Chicago Sun-Times, October 15, 2009

Arrest made in fatal Park Ridge crash, Sun-Times, October 13, 2009

2 dead, 4 injured in Park Ridge accident, Chicago Sun-Times, October 11, 2009

Relate Web Resources:
DUI Conviction Penalties, Illinois State Police

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Continue reading "Park Ridge Car Accident Leaves Two Dead and Four Injured " »

In Illinois, 57-year-old Donald W. Canterbery was sentenced to 28 years in prison for pleading guilty to aggravated drunk driving and other criminal charges. Canterbury’s blood-alcohol rate was over three times the legal limit when the vehicle he was driving fatally struck the auto carrying Adam Zimmer and Lindsey Arnold-Zimmer on Illinois 111 last February. Arnold-Zimmer was pregnant at the time and her unborn son also died in the fatal car accident.

Police say that Canterbery, a Granite City resident, was driving 91 mph when he rear-ended the couple’s vehicle. Just four seconds before the deadly Illinois car wreck, his vehicle was moving at a speed of 151 mph.

Prior to the car accident, Canterbery was arrested five times for DUI. He had just been granted probation for the fifth drunk driving conviction in January. The 28-year prison sentence he has been ordered to serve is the maximum sentence allowed for this type of crime.

Although chronic drinking can be a result of the disease called alcoholism, this does not excuse a drunken person from the consequences of getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, driving drunk, and accidentally killing another person.

According to the American Council on Alcoholism, almost 16,000 people died because of drunk drivers in 2008, while more than 1 million people got hurt. Drivers with BAC’s exceeding the legal driving limit and/or who are repeat offenders are responsible for many of these injuries and deaths.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that drunken motorists with BACs of .15% or more increase their chances of becoming involved in a fatal car crash by 300%. Nearly 2/3rds of alcohol-related deaths involved drivers who had BACs of .14% or more. Out of every eight drunk drivers, at least one of these motorists has a prior DWI/DUI conviction.

Repeat offenders are often people who suffer from a drinking problem. While alcoholism is a serious problem for the person who is struggling to cope with this disease, it becomes other people's problem when someone is injured or their loved one is killed by a drunken driver. Drunk driving is negligent driving and can be grounds for a Chicago personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.

DUI Treatment Courts: Drunk Driving Prevention Through Intervention, American Council on Alcoholism, September 11, 2009

Repeat DUI offender gets 28 years for crash that killed couple, unborn son, BND, September 9, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Mothers Against Drunk Driving

DUI Conviction Penalty, Illinois State Police

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, some 500 people in the state died in alcohol-related car accidents in 2007. In an effort to decrease the number of drunk driving deaths this year, over 300 local police agencies are stepping up their efforts to crack down on motorists who are driving drunk or not using seat belts—especially over the holiday weekend.

There will be more police patrols on the street and officers will focus on the night hours. Last week, the IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety reported a significant difference in the motor vehicle deaths that happen late at night than during the other times of the day.

While Illinois State Police are quick to point out that driving drunk at any time of day or night is never appropriate or acceptable, the latest data indicates that the chances of becoming involved in an Illinois drunk driving accident rises dramatically at night.

Almost 7 out of 10 traffic deaths that took place between 12am and 3am involved a driver who was drunk. Less than 3 of the 10 car crash deaths that occurred at this time were people who were using seat belts. This 3-hour period is considered the deadliest time of the day to be riding a vehicle on an Illinois road.

During the day, alcohol was a factor in under 2 out of every 10 Illinois traffic deaths. Almost 6 out of the 10 fatality victims had been properly restrained.

Our Chicago car crash law firm has said time and again that drunk driving is negligent driving and can be grounds for an Illinos personal injury lawsuit or a wrongful death case if a motorist was careless enough to drink and drive and someone was killed or hurt as a result. While it is the responsibility of vehicle occupants to use their seat belts, there are Chicago auto injuries and deaths that happen because of products liability. In order to save a life, a seat belt must be free from defects and cannot malfunction during an Illinois traffic accident.

Labor Day DUI crackdown set, Chicago Tribune, September 3, 2009

IDOT data reports late-night hours as the deadliest time on Illinois roadways, Illinois Gov, August 24, 2009

Related Web Resources:
2007 Drunk Driving Statistics

Cops target U.S. 41 for drunken drivers, Post-Tribune, September 3, 2009

A 65-year-old woman was killed yesterday in an Illinois car accident on Route 13. Frances Koon, a seamstress, was going to work when her car was in a collision with a pickup just before 5am.

According to investigators, it was Nicholas Wilson, 19, who crossed the center line, causing the head-on crash with Koon’s motor vehicle. Illinois State Police have charged Wilson with DUI.

Three people were in the car driven by Wilson. The passengers, ages 19 – 21, were flown to hospitals.

Drunk Driving
Despite all the information available regarding the dangers of drunk driving, there are still many motorists that continue to drink and drive. Drunk driving accidents killed almost 13,000 people in 2007—that’s one drunk driving death every 40 minutes. In each of these instances, the driver who was drunk had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or more.

Drunk driving accidents destroy the lives not just of the person killed or injured in the Illinois car crash, but also the lives of the victim’s loved ones who now must spend years dealing with the fact that the person they care about is gone or catastrophically hurt because someone drank too much and decided to get behind the wheel of a vehicle.

On August 21, 2009, law enforcement officers throughout the US will begin an 18-day Drunk Driving crackdown until Labor Day. The initiative, called Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. Is meant to save lives and make it clear to motorists that if they are driving drunk, they will be arrested.

Drunk drivers that end up killing someone will likely face time in prison for committing this crime. The negligent motorist can also be held liable in civil court for Illinois personal injury or wrongful death.

Head On Collision Kills Woman from Lenzburg, Illinois, Fox2Now, August 17, 2009

Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest, NHTSA

Related Web Resources:
Underage Drinking, SADD

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Continue reading "Woman Dies in Illinois Head-On Car Accident on Route 13" »

Four people sustained critical injuries and one person was killed in a Chicago car accident involving a drunk driver in Woodlawn on Sunday night. The person that died was a passenger in the car driven by an alleged drunk driver, who drove into another vehicle and then a light pole, which then landed on a 9-year-old pedestrian. The child is reportedly in stable condition at the University of Chicago Corner Children’s Hospital. Another car accident victim reportedly sustained a broken arm.

In another Chicago car accident on Sunday, two police officers ended up in the hospital after the squad car they were riding in was broadsided by a Honda. The driver, 20, is accused of ignoring a traffic control device at Elston and Albany and t-boning the squad car. Aggravated DUI charges against the motorist may be pending, in addition to driving without insurance and driving without a license charges.

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration roadside survey, in 2007 2.2% of drivers had a BAC of .08% or greater—a significant decline compared to the number of drunk drivers (7.5% were legally drunk) that were surveyed in 1973. Despite the fact that there are less drunk drivers on US roads than their used to be, drunk driving is still a cause of way too many Chicago car crashes.

Drunk driving is negligent driving and a drunk driver can be sued for Chicago personal injury if he or she causes serious injury or wrongful death during an Illinois car accident.

The recent NHTSA survey also went on to note that for the first time, 16.3% of the nighttime weekend drivers surveyed tested positive for drugs, with cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine the most commonly drugs detected. Not only can taking drugs impair a driver’s ability to drive safely, but these narcotics can stay in the motorist’s system for weeks—making it hard to know if these drugs were a contributing factor in causing a Chicago car accident days after they were ingested.

One dead, four critically hurt in Woodlawn Crash, Chicago Sun-Times, July 27, 2009

Drunken driver injures two cops, WBBM 780, July 27, 2009

Study finds decline in alcohol use by drivers, AP, July 13, 2009

Related Web Resources:
NHTSA

MADD

Continue reading "Chicago Drunk Driving Accident Injures Four and Kills One " »

The US Department of Transportation says that 1,043 people died in Illinois traffic accidents last year. Alcohol was a factor in 362 fatalities, while speeding was involved in 385 of the deaths.

Other 2008 Illinois Traffic Safety Facts provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• 133 Illinois motorcycle rider deaths
• 135 Illinois pedestrian deaths

2008 Traffic deaths in 10 Illinois Counties:
• 274 Cook County fatalities
• 44 Will County deaths
• 40 Kane County fatalities
• 36 Madison County deaths
• 31 St. Clair County fatalities
• 27 La Salle County deaths
• 26 Lake County fatalities
• 24 DuPage County deaths
• 23 Champaign County fatalities
• 20 Dekalb County deaths

The Illinois traffic fatality count was lower last year than it was in 2007 when there were 1,248 deaths. Nationally, there was an overall drop in traffic deaths and injuries between 2008 and 2007. There were 37,261 fatalities last year compared to 41,259 deaths during the year prior. Other substantial declines in the number of traffic fatalities included 25,351 passenger occupant deaths (29,072 fatalities in 2007), 11,883 drunk driving deaths (compared to 13,041 in 2007), 10,764 light truck occupant deaths (12,458 in 2007), 4,378 pedestrian fatalities (4,699 pedestrian deaths in 2007), and 716 pedalcyclist deaths (701 fatalities in 2007). Motorcycle rider fatalities, however, did increase from 158 deaths in 2007 to 188 fatalities in 2008.

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says that the annual total for the number of traffic deaths reached its lowest level last year since 1961. The trend appears to be continuing this year, with the first quarter of 2009 showing a decrease in traffic deaths compared to the same period in 2008. From January – March 2009, 7,689 people died in US traffic accidents. There were 8,451 fatalities for the first quarter of 2008.

There are many reasons why an Illinois motor vehicle accident might happen. Many catastrophic Chicago car crashes occur because another party was negligent.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood: Overall Traffic Fatalities Reach Record Low, NHTSA, July 2, 2009

Related Web Resources:
2008 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment Highlights, NHTSA, June 2009 (PDF)

Illinois Traffic Safety Facts for 2008, NHTSA (PDF)

Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities For the First Quarter (January–March) of 2009, NHTSA, June 2009 (PDF)

Continue reading "NHTSA Reports 1,043 Illinois Traffic Deaths in 2008" »

Last month, our Chicago car accident law firm posted a blog about a catastrophic Illinois motor vehicle accident involving a drunk driver that claimed the life of a 48-year-old Chicago Heights man. Now, Debrasha Piper, the daughter of car accident victim Calvin Hatten, is suing the alleged drunk driver, the vehicle owner, and the city of Chicago for her father’s wrongful death.

The deadly Chicago car crash occurred on May 10. Two days later, driver Juan Cayetano was charged with aggravated drunken driving and reckless homicide. He also received tickets for driving an uninsured vehicle and not having a valid driver’s license.

Hatten and his family were on 43rd street that evening when they were hit by a 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier, operated by Cayetano, who had just run a red light. The impact of the collision forced Hatten’s car to collide with a Toyota Corolla that was stopped at a red light.

Hatten died from his injuries and seven other people also got hurt. Prosecutors say that Cayetano’s BAC was .206. The legal limit is .08%. Hatten leaves behind his two teenage daughters and his wife of 30 years.

Chicago Drunk Driving Accidents
Drunk driving accidents destroy not just the lives of the people that are killed and injured, but also the lives of surviving family members. Not only must the people that are left behind deal with the sudden and unnecessary loss of someone they love, but a young child may be forced to grow up without a father or mother, and a spouse may have to deal with losing not just a partner, but coping with the ramifications that come with raising and supporting a family alone.

Daughter of fatal-crash victim files suit, Sun-Times, June 4, 2009

Victims of Drunk Driving, About.com

Related Web Resources:
Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Chicago DUI Accident Lawyers: Recent Drunk Driving Crashes Cause Fatalities and Injuries, ChicagoCarAccidentAttorneysBlog.com, May 15, 2009

Continue reading "Chicago Car Accident Lawsuit Sues City, Car Owner, and Alleged Drunk Driver for Man’s Illinois Wrongful Death" »

Is the Chicago police officer arrested for the Illinois hit-and-run death of 13-year-old Trenton Booker getting preferential treatment? That’s what Chicago Mayor Richard Daley wants to know. He is ordering the police department to conduct a probe into the matter immediately.

Bail was set at $2 million for Richard Bolling—although as of this afternoon, the Chicago police department still won’t identify him as the off-duty cop who was driving the speeding car that hit Booker, who was riding a bicycle, early Saturday morning. They are also refusing to release Bolling's arrest photo.

According to witnesses, Bolling was at a bar right before he got into his vehicle and hit the boy at the intersection of Ashland and 81st at around 1:30am. Police arrested the off-duty cop a few blocks away from the Chicago bicycle accident site after they saw his vehicle driving the wrong way down a one-way street. The state attorney’s office says there was an open bottle of beer in the car and Bolling’s Dodge Charger had sustained windshield and front-end damage.

The 17-year veteran of the Chicago police force was charged with leaving the crash site where an injury or death occurred, aggravated driving under the influence, transporting alcohol, driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street, and reckless homicide.

There are concerns as to why the Chicago police department did not administer a Breathalyzer test to Bolling until four hours after the deadly Chicago motor vehicle accident. Another eight hours reportedly passed before a blood test was administered to Bolling to determine his blood alcohol level. His BAC at that time was .079. The legal limit is .08%.

Booker’s family members have also complained that a court hearing on Saturday to set bail for the Chicago cop took place an hour ahead of schedule and that they weren’t notified of the change. Typically, bond hearings occur at noon.

A police arrest report says that Bolling did not appear impaired after he was given field sobriety tests. However, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney John Dillon said at the Saturday hearing that a witness that saw the Chicago cop at the bar said Bolling always had a drink in hand.

Favoritism shown in cop's DUI arrest?, Chicago Breaking News, May 26, 2009

$2M bail set for Chicago cop charged in hit-run death of boy, Chicago Sun-Times, May 24, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Chicago Police Department

Car Accidents Overview, Justia

Richard M Daley, City of Chicago

Continue reading "Chicago Hit and Run Car Accident: Mayor Daley Orders Police to Investigate Whether Cop Arrested for Boy’s Bicycle Death Was Given Preferential Treatment " »

In DuPage County, Illinois, a woman accused of causing a Naperville drunk driving accident on Wednesday afternoon faces charges of aggravated battery in a public place, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving too fast for conditions, leaving an accident scene that involved damage, and failing to slow down the speed of her vehicle.

Margaret T. Puleo was trying to exit an apartment complex on Naper Boulevard in her 1997 Infinity when she struck landscaping rocks close to the driveway before hitting a 2006 Chrysler convertible at the intersection of Columbia Street and Chicago Avenue.

While Puleo and the other driver initially got out of their cars to investigate the DuPage County car crash site, she quickly got into her vehicle when she heard that police were on the way and that is when she hit the other driver, who sustained a serious, non-life threatening injury. Police apprehended Puleo less than two hours later. She is currently free on bail.

In another Illinois drunk driving accident, this one in Cook County, a Brighton Park driver was ordered held in lieu of bail for his alleged role in the fatal drunk driving accident that claimed the life of a Chicago Heights man on Mother’s Day. Juan Cayetano, 38, was charged with aggravated drunk driving resulting in death and reckless homicide.

Prosecutors say Juan Cayetano had a BAC of .206% when he ran a red light on Chicago’s South Side and hit a Lexus driven by a 48-year-old Chicago Heights resident. Calvin Hatten died from his injuries.

Police had been trying to apprehend Cayetano prior to the deadly Chicago car crash. His wife and two daughters were in the car with him when he hit the other car. His wife broke her ribs during the traffic crash. Another passenger fractured a leg. Cayetano was hospitalized following the Chicago traffic accident.

Drunk Driving Accidents
A driver who gets behind the wheel of the car while under the influence of alcohol or drugs seriously increases the chances that he or she will be involved in an Illinois DUI accident that could hurt or kill other people. Although a drunk driver may have impaired his or her senses enough to not know what he or she is doing, this doesn’t excuse the behavior or exempt the motorist from being held accountable for another party’s personal injuries or wrongful death.

Inebriated driver cuts swath of mayhem through Naperville, SuburbanChicagoNews.com, May 15, 2009

Suspect in DUI death ordered held in lieu of bond, Sun Times, May 13, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Drunk Driving, Insurance Information Institute

Continue reading "Chicago DUI Accident Lawyers: Recent Drunk Driving Crashes Cause Fatalities and Injuries" »