Articles Posted in Traffic Accident

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Jeremiah Thompson, 36, has been charged with DUI and other violations for a hit-and-run that resulted in the death of a 35-year old woman.

Yasha Hicks was allegedly struck and killed as she walked near 73rd and South Racine. Thompson reportedly took off after the accident and left Hicks in the roadway. Hicks was pronounced dead at Christ Advocate Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Police later caught up with Thompson charged him with Aggravated DUI-accident resulting in death, DUI with a blood alcohol content above 0.08, failure to reduce speed, improper lane usage, failure to take due care with pedestrian in roadway, and operating a vehicle without insurance.

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22-year-old, Doreen Cardenas, and a 22-year-old man she was with were rushed to the hospital after being struck by a car in an early morning hit and run in North Aurora. Cardenas was pronounced dead at Provena-Mercy Hospital at 2:35 a.m. The man remained hospitalized but his condition was not made available.

The couple were standing outside the driver’s side of Cardena’s parked 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier when a vehicle allegedly side-swiped the car and struck them. A bystander found the two victims lying in the street at 42 S Grant Street.

At approximately 5 a.m., Lee Roy Patterson, a 30-year-old Aurora man, walked into the Aurora Police department and turned himself in. Patterson has been charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving a death, an additional count of leaving the scene where a person was injured, and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Patterson faces a Class 1 felony which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

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Reginald Hearon, 50, could find himself serving up to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony DUI and reckless homicide charges stemming from the deadly Kane County crash in 2008.

Hearon driving work at the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles on the day of the crash when his van slammed head-on into an on-coming car as he allegedly tried to pass several vehicles on a two-lane highway. Craig Smith, 53, from St. Charles was killed in the collision.

A crash reconstruction concluded that Hearon was going at least 10mph over the speed limit and blood test taken after the crash found that he had alcohol, morphine and codeine in his system.

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Kelli and Jessica Uhl were killed in the November 2007 accident cause by former Illinois State Trooper Matt Mitchell.

Mitchell, who was responding to another accident, was driving at 126mph through busy traffic on Interstate 64 while sending and receiving emails and talking to his girlfriend on his mobile phone. He crossed the median and hit a car carrying four girls head on, killing two of the girls and injuring the other two.

Mitchell is now asking the state to compensate him for his injuries. Mitchell was suspended for nearly two years after the accident, but still drew his $68,000 annual salary.

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David A. Lobb, 31, of the 1900 block of North Rose Street plead guilty to driving drunk after he flipped his SUV and hit another vehicle, seriously injuring the other driver.

The crashed occurred on November 3, 2005 at Randall Road and McHenry Avenue.

Lobb is charged with a Class 4 felony which is punishable by a sentence ranging from probation to 12 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for November 19.

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Jose Rodriguez, 20, of 5902 Roosevelt Road in Chicago has been charged with two counts of felony aggravated driving under the influence following an accident involving two injuries in River Grove.

Rodriguez allegedly ran head-on into oncoming traffic near O’conner Drive and Thatcher Ave when his vehicle crashed into another vehicle going southbound.

The victim received serious bodily injuries and multiple fractures, she was treated in the hospital for three days before being sent home and is still receiving treatment. Rodriguez was also seriously injured and remains in the hospital.

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Alonso Huerta-Perez, 23, of Carpentersville is accused of fleeing a crash after blowing through a stop sign in West Chicago while intoxicated. Huerta-Perez collided with another car, killing the driver.

Huerta-Perez allegedly stated that he drank eight or nine beers before the crash. Five other people were in the car when it went through the stop sign and struck a vehicle driven by Austin Weidner, 27, of Schaumburg. Weidner was rushed to Central Dupage Hospital and pronounced dead.

Huerta-Perez’s vehicle overturned after the crash and he allegedly attempted to flee the scene with the other five passengers, but West Chicago police were able to apprehend him after a witness provided information. He was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

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A drag race on the Eisenhower Expressway ended in the death of one man and injury of two others after their vehicle flipped early Sunday morning. Maurice A. Horton, 28, was a front-seat passenger in a 2004 Chevrolet Impala, driven by his cousin, that State Police said crashed on the outbound Ike around 2:30 a.m. State Police say that Edward Dixon, 28, of Chicago has been charged with DUI as the driver of the vehicle. Horton was returning from the lakefront after a gathering with a group of friends and relatives.

Police say that during the race, the driver of the Impala lost control of the car which rolled and crashed. Horton and the driver were partially ejected from the vehicle. Allegedely none of the three individuals in the care were wearing seat belts. The driver, Dixon, was in critical condition and a back-seat passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police do not have a description of the other vehicle involved in the race.

Crash during race on Ike kills 1, injures 2, www.suntimes.com, July 12, 2010

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Sandra Vasquez testified in front of a Kendall County jury on Monday regarding the fatal February 2007 crash in which she drove intoxicated teenagers home from a party in Oswego. Vasquez, of Aurora, is charged with aggravated DUI and multiple counts of reckless homicide. She claimed that she went to her aunt’s house to pick up her younger sister and then various teens asked her for a ride. She said that she felt bad for them and agreed to drive them home. She did not know any of the teenagers and her sister was not one of the passengers in the car. Eight teenagers got into the car and five of them were killed when Vasquez allegedly swerved off the road and into a utility pole.

Prosecutors claimed that the 26-year-old had a blood-alcohol level of .105. A defense witness said that Vasquez’s BAC level was between .04 and .07 based on blood which was drawn a few hours after the crash. A Kendall County jury reached a guilty verdict after over 11 hours of deliberation. Sandra Vasquez faces up to 28 years in prison when she is sentenced later this year.

Driver in fatal crash says she felt bad for teens who needed rides, www.chicagotribune.com, June 28, 2010

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A New Trier student faces two misdemeanor DUI charges after her alleged involvement in a hit-and-run involving another student. Erin Hughes, 18, allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana the night before Cook County prosecutors claim she hit another student who was crossing the street. Hughes, of Wilmette, allegedly slowed after hitting the other student but then proceeded to drive off. The student suffered severe head injuries but is now home rehabilitating.

Blood and urine tests reportedly showed that Hughes had marijuana in her system on May 14 when the accident occurred. Under Illinois law, any amount of cannabis in a driver’s system is enough to charge that driver with DUI. This is true regardless of actual evidence the driver was impaired at the time. Hughes could have faced aggravated felony DUI charges because of the injuries caused by the crash. However, prosecutors would have had to prove that she was impaired at the time of the incident. Proving impairment from cannabis is very difficult in DUI cases. Hughes will face a maximum three-year prison term and is currently free on bail.

Teen charged with DUI in hit-and-run of fellow New Trier student, www.suntimes.com, June 14, 2010