Articles Posted in DUI

With prom season approaching, students in Lake Zurich, Illinois might think twice before drinking and getting behind the wheel. That’s because Operation Prom Night made an appearance this week at the high school and presented a simulated prom night crash caused by a drunk student.

Several students acted as prom-goers dressed in formal wear with first responders present from the local fire department. A female student was splashed with fake blood and laying across the hood of a significantly damaged vehicle.

The purpose of Operation Prom Night is to make students realize how dangerous and potentially deadly it can be to drink and drive or to drive after taking drugs. While the scene may have been graphic in an effort to make a point, many people thought the program was well done and effective.

In Illinois, teenagers and people under the age of 21 are not allowed to have any alcohol in their system when they drive while it is illegal for anyone to drive under the influence of drugs. Special occasions, including prom, often cause a spike in teenage drinking as well as teenage drinking and driving so organizers feel it is important to highlight the dangers before these temptations arise.

Car crashes continue to be the biggest cause of death among U.S. teenagers each year, and though highway deaths have declined lately, too many teenagers continue to die in collisions. Teenagers and other young drivers are at a higher risk of crashes to begin with due to a lack of developed driving skills, lack of experience, and an inability to anticipate dangerous conditions that more experienced drivers tend to possess. Adding drugs or alcohol to the mix slows a teenager’s ability to make decisions and slows reaction time, making crashes even more likely. In fact, in 2008, one in seven people killed in a drunk driving accident was under age 21 and therefore not even old enough to legally drink.

It is unclear whether Operation Prom Night will reduce drinking and driving in Lake Zurich this year but organizers hope that parents will reinforce the lessons taught by speaking with their teens at home, expressing the dangers of drinking and driving, and coming up with alternate plans, like having a safe ride available, in case a teen finds themselves in a dangerous situation.
Continue reading

A Friday morning crash in Avondale that left four people seriously injured may have been caused by alcohol and possibly narcotics, according to Chicago police officers.

The crash happened just before 3:00 a.m. near the intersection of Kedzie Avenue and Elston Avenue on the northwest side of Chicago. A 21-year-old was driving a 1995 Honda Accord when he lost control of the vehicle, left the road, and struck a light pole. Authorities believe the car was traveling at a significant speed because upon impact, the car wrapped around the pole and sustained serious damage.

When emergency responders arrived at the scene, the vehicle was so damaged that the occupants could not be removed through the doors, forcing the fire department to cut apart the car and remove each of the four occupants.

The driver and another male were taken to Illinois Masonic for their injuries while the two females in the car were taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital. The driver was in critical condition and all four passengers appear to have suffered head and other injuries.

After conducting an investigation, police officers believe that alcohol and possibly narcotics played a part in the one-car crash and charges are now pending against the driver of the vehicle.

Drunk drivers who cause their passengers to be injured may also face civil claims including lawsuits for injuries and damages. Many people do not realize that if they are in the car with a person who causes their injuries, a claim can still be made.

In accidents like the one described above, most insurance companies will provide coverage to the three passengers so that they can recover for all of their damages, including medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and any other expenses they incur. This can be very important to keep in mind because according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one in every seven nighttime weekend drivers are under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
Continue reading

The DuPage County Sheriff’s Department reported that an Illinois limo driver had a blood alcohol content of 0.22 when he drove 23 teens to prom on Saturday. The legal limit for blood alcohol content in Illinois is 0.08 for most drivers and 0.04 for commercial license holders.

The teens were transported from Oswego East High School to a banquet hall near Glen Ellyn, the location of their prom, by the drunk driver. During the ride, several of the teens became concerned when the driver backed into a ditch and nearly hit several cars. The teens called their parents who in turn alerted the local police. After investigating the claim, the police arrested the driver who now faces charges of drunken driving and reckless conduct. If convicted, the driver will face a license suspension, fine, and mandatory community service, at a minimum.

The driver later claimed that he was not drunk but that mechanical problems, specifically a misalignment of the bus, was to blame for the erratic driving reported by the students but the owner of the bus said there were no mechanical issues. It has also been reported that the limo driver was fired from his job following this incident.

This is every parent’s nightmare. When your child is in the care of a licensed professional, you expect that individual to operate with the highest degree of care. Instead, the driver in this case allegedly operated drunk and displayed erratic and dangerous behavior to the students on the bus as well as other drivers on the road.

Fortunately no one was injured in this incident but that is not typical for alcohol-related driving. In 2011, 35 percent of the 918 traffic fatalities involved a drunk driver which means that 323 people were killed due to drunk driving. Of those arrested for drunk driving, a disproportionately large number – 76 percent – of individuals were male. This should be surprising because males account for only 50 percent of licensed drivers in the state.

Continue reading

A 58-year-old Brookfield woman was arrested for driving under the influence on Friday in Riverside. When asked by police officers, the woman informed them that she had been celebrating earlier in the evening because she got her driver’s licence back after a conviction for driving under the influence last fall.The woman was pulled over for speeding but later tests revealed her blood alcohol content to be 0.155, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. She is facing charges for felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and may face incarceration as a result.

The responding officer ran a check on the woman’s license and learned that it was still suspended from her prior conviction, despite her claims to the contrary. As part of her prior sentence, a breath-alcohol ignition interlock device was reportedly installed in her car. The device requires a driver to exhale into a collection tube before the car can be started. If the presence of alcohol is detected on the driver’s breath, the vehicle will not start. However in this case, it appears the woman was driving someone else’s car that did not have a breath-alcohol ignition interlock device installed, allowing her to drive even with her high blood alcohol content.

Illinois law presumes that any driver with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher is driving under the influence of alcohol and is impaired. This is the level that applies to the general population though specific types of drivers may face more stringent requirements. For example, drivers under the age of 21 and bus drivers are not allowed any alcohol in their system when driving while the limit for commercial drivers is a blood alcohol content of 0.04. According to the Illinois Secretary of State, the average driver arrested for driving under the influence is male, 34 years old, arrested between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. on a weekend, and possesses a blood alcohol content of 0.16 – twice the legal limit.

Continue reading

The bassist for the band 3 Doors Down is being held in a Nashville jail after he reportedly caused a collision while speeding and driving impaired, according to the Chicago Tribune.Police stated that the bassist, Robert Todd Harrell, showed obvious signs of impairment at the scene and that “he acknowledged consuming hard cider and taking prescription Lortab and Xanax” before the crash.

Authorities believe that Harrell was speeding in a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee on westbound Interstate 40 when he hit a pickup truck. The driver of the truck lost control and the truck struck a guardrail, left the road and then flipped at least once before coming to a rest. The driver was ejected and died as a result of the collision.

Harrell has been charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication and is being held on a $100,000 bond.

Following his arrest, Harrell was taken to a local jail where sheriff’s deputies found a plastic bag with 8 Xanax pills, 24 oxycodone pills, and 4 oxymorphone pills concealed in Harrell’s sock. Xanax is an anti-anxiety medication available by prescription while oxycodone and oxymorphone are prescription pain relievers. It is not clear whether Harrell had a prescription for any of the drugs in his possession.

The band issued a statement on its website saying they were saddened by the passing of the victim and that the band’s hearts and prayers go out to the victim’s family and friends.

Harrell was arrested last year and charged with driving under the influence after he was involved in a crash with another vehicle.

This recent crash puts a spotlight on the dangers associated with driving under the influence.
Every day nearly 30 people die in the United States in alcohol-related crashes, or nearly one every 48 minutes. Estimates put the cost of drunk driving in excess of $51 billion per year.

The people most at risk for impaired driving are young people, motorcyclists, and drivers with prior convictions for driving while impaired. The early reports suggest that the impaired driver in this crash had a history of alcohol-related driving. Statistically, drivers with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher involved in fatal crashers were four times more likely to have a prior conviction for driving while impaired than were drivers with no alcohol in their systems.

This means that drivers who have been convicted of driving under the influence are more likely to do so again in the future than those who have never driven drunk. Drunk drivers are significant risks to all drivers and passengers on the roads because drunk drivers have slowed response times, delayed ability to process dangers, and are not as vigilant as sober drivers, increasing the risk of collision.

Driving drunk is illegal in every state in the nation and with good reason. Avoid being a drunk driving statistic by following these simple tips: never drive drunk, never ride in a car with someone who has been drinking, always designate a sober driver before drinking or take a taxi for transportation, and if a friend has been drinking, take away his keys so that he will be unable to drive under the influence.
Continue reading

Last month, two college students were killed tragically when their car collided head on with a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction. The two young men were traveling southbound on Lake Shore Drive at around 4 in the morning on March 15 when an off duty police officer’s Chevy Trailblazer slammed into their black Jeep. The officer, Terrell Garrett, was allegedly severely intoxicated, which could explain why he was driving on the wrong side of the road at the time of the collision.According to statements made by prosecutors at the March 18 hearing, Garrett allegedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.184 at the time he was apprehended, which is more than double the legal limit. He was reportedly celebrating his birthday the day when the accident occurred. He faces two felony counts of reckless homicide and two felony counts of aggravated driving under the influence, the judge set his bail at $500,000.

The North Chicago Police Department released a statement that they, “immediately relieved Officer Terrell Garrett of his police powers and has placed him on administrative leave pending the outcome of the Chicago Police Department’s investigation.”

According to state records, approximately 50,000 drivers are taken into custody for driving under the influence of either alcohol or drugs in Illinois annually. Nearly 80 percent of these drivers are first-time DUI offenders. However, as this tragic case demonstrates, even the first time driving under the influence can result in catastrophic injuries or death. Additionally, it is important to note that the charges relating to DUI are handled through the criminal process. In many cases, victims of these tragic crashes may be able to make additional civil claims against the drunk driver.
Continue reading

Following a car accident which involved a police squad car earlier this week, a man was formally charged this Wednesday with drug possession in relation to his role in allegedly causing the crash.

The officers were responding to a call and driving near West Morse Avenue and North Sheridan Road, in the Rogers Park neighborhood, when the young man’s Toyota Camry turned left in front of them, hitting the police vehicle. While both of the officers were sent to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston for observation, they suffered only minor injuries.

Following the accident, the man was cited for:

• failure to yield while making a left turn
• driving without insurance
• driving under the influence of alcohol, and
• driving under the influence of drugs

According to a news affairs officer, the driver was additionally charged with a felony count of manufacture and delivery of cannabis after officers discovered that the man had nearly 50 grams of the substance on him.

While it is not clear what the extent of the damage to the police car is, the facts seem to make clear that the man was at fault for causing the accident. This means that he will likely be liable for the costs of repairs, and potentially even for the officers’ resulting medical care. Even though he was not driving with insurance at the time, he is still personally liable for his actions. Also, if he was not the owner of the car, there may be a separate policy under which it is registered.

Many people are surprised to learn that in cases where the other driver is driving without insurance, they might still have a claim under an uninsured motorist claim on their own policy if they were injured as the result of the other driver’s negligence. This type of coverage is meant to ensure that drivers will be able to cover the costs of repairs following an accident.
Continue reading

A suspected drunk driving crash on Western Avenue has taken the life of a 26-year-old woman. According to Chicago police, a 33-year-old man was driving a four-door Saturn south on the roadway around 2:15 am when the car struck a viaduct, flipped, and split in two. The single-vehicle accident reportedly ejected the man’s female passenger from the car. Although paramedics transported the woman to Mount Sinai Hospital, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office stated she was pronounced dead about three hours after the collision occurred.

The cause of the fatal wreck is currently under investigation by the Chicago Police Department’s Major Accidents Investigations Unit. Chicago Police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said the driver of the Saturn was treated for minor cuts and bruises and released from a local hospital. Despite that charges have not been filed, Mirabelli stated police believe alcohol played a role in the deadly incident.

Since 2009, motorists who are convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) in Illinois have the option to have an ignition interlock device installed in their automobile in lieu of a license suspension. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is reportedly in favor of ignition interlock device laws like those passed in Illinois. Recently, NTSB officials stated ignition interlock devices should be installed in the personal vehicle of anyone accused of DUI. NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman reportedly believes that ignition interlock device laws could decrease or eliminate what is currently the number one preventable cause of traffic fatalities across the country.

According to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, about 50,000 drivers are taken into custody for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in our state annually. In addition, approximately 80 percent of motorists who are arrested are first-time DUI offenders. As demonstrated by this sad case, the victim of a motor vehicle crash that was caused by an impaired motorist may suffer catastrophic injuries or untimely death. Although a drunk or drugged driver may be held criminally liable, he or she should also be held financially responsible for any harm that resulted from a DUI wreck.

If you were hurt in a car accident that was caused by an impaired driver, you may be eligible to recover financial compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, suffering and pain, any resulting disability, and a variety of other damages. If you lost a family member in a traffic collision with a drunk or drugged motorist, you may also be entitled to file a lawsuit to recover for your loved one’s wrongful death. A skilled Chicago car accident attorney can discuss your rights with you in more detail.
Continue reading