Child killed in reported Chicago drunk driving accident
A 30-year-old man is jailed and charged with felony DUI and reckless homicide in connection with a Chicago pedestrian accident that claimed to life of a 10-year-old boy. The Sun-Times reports the driver also faces other charges, including driving with a suspended license. The Chicago man faces up to 14 years in prison if convicted. He was jailed on Monday, when a Cook County judge set bail at $350,000.
The crash happened just before 6 a.m. Saturday in Rogers Park when a van driven by the defendant slammed into a parked SUV, pushing it into another parked SUV and crushing the child between the two vehicles. The third-grader and his sister had just arrived to visit their aunt so their father could work as a caddy over the Memorial Day weekend.
Prosecutors say the driver tested .109 -- above the limit of .08 for drunk driving in Illinois -- and failed field sobriety tests. Police report finding several empty beer bottles in the van following the collision. Authorities say he ran a red light and lost control of the van before slamming into a Ford Explorer. The Explorer was pushed into a Toyota SR 5, trapping the child, who was walking between the two vehicles. Some media outlets reported that the defendant's van was being followed by a police cruiser at the time of the crash.
Chicago drunk driving accidents continue to be responsible for a significant number of serious and fatal traffic crashes. In 2008 Illinois traffic accidents in which alcohol tests were performed, about half (328 of 655) involved a driver with alcohol in their system, according to statistics from the Illinois Division of Traffic Safety.
The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that traffic fatalities are the leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 14. An average of four children a day were killed and 529 injured in traffic accidents in 2008. Forty-four were killed in Illinois traffic accidents involving children.
If your family is dealing with a car accident, pedestrian accident or bicycle accident involving a child, contact the Chicago child injury lawyers at VanPopering Law Offices for a free consultation.
