A Chicago man faces serious criminal charges for a New Year’s Chicago drunk driving accident that claimed the life of a 20-year-old woman, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The Cook County sheriff’s office reported the Oak Forest car accident was caused by a 22-year-old man who is a business partner of a former Chicago Blackhawks player.
The defendant’s 20-year-old ex-girlfriend, a local college student, was killed in the one-car Chicago car accident. He was tested with a blood-alcohol level of .236, almost three times the legal limit, according to media reports.
He was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence.
The one-car Chicago car accident occurred at about 4:20 a.m. Thursday on 147th Street near Oak Park Avenue, when the defendant’s Mercedes SUV struck a light pole before careening into a ditch and rolling over, according to police.
The defendant was treated at Advocate Christ Medical Center for a broken wrist and other injuries. He was being held in custody over the weekend, pending a bond hearing at the Markham courthouse.
The Sun-Times reported bond was later set at $200,000.
The Tribune reported the victim’s parents spent New Year’s Day planning funeral arrangements for their middle child.
As reported recently on Chicago Car Accident Lawyers blog, one-third of fatal Illinois car accidents involve drunk drivers. Last year in Illinois, 1,043 people killed in traffic accidents; one in three (362) were legally drunk and one in four (252) had a blood alcohol level of almost twice the legal limit (.15) or higher, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.