A fatal car accident yielded criminal charges for the driver allegedly responsible for the collision. Police arrested the man on two counts for aggravated DUI involving a death and on another two counts for aggravated DUI with a revoked or suspended licenses. Both of these are Class 2 felonies in Illinois.
The accident in question occurred back in Dec. 2018, when police say the 41-year-old was driving his vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. On Dec. 18, shortly before 6:30 p.m., he allegedly drifted across the center line and into the path of oncoming traffic. He hit a van head-on, causing it to hit a third nearby vehicle. The 32-year-old driver of the van survived the wreck but required treatment at an area hospital, and his 41-year-old passenger suffered fatal injuries. The driver accused of causing the wreck was also injured, but the driver of the third vehicle was not.
Police apparently discovered that his driver’s license was suspended at the time of the accident. The suspension was related to past DUI conviction. Although they did not disclose their methods, police also reportedly determined that the driver was under the influence of alcohol.
He was not formally charged until March 2019 and turned himself into Illinois authorities in late July. Having already faced at least one DUI charge, he likely understand the severity of the matter. Second DUI offenses — especially those that involve injuries or fatalities — can yield steep fines and extended time behind bars. While this can be an extremely difficult period of a defendant’s life, he or she might consider the benefits of working on a criminal defense as early on in the process as possible.