Articles Posted in Traffic Accident

Chicago police officer John Ardelean was cleared of all charges against him stemming from a DUI crash on Thanksgiving Day 2007 in which two men were killed. The families of the two men were shocked and outraged by the dismissal but were told that they could continue on with a civil suit against the officer.

Ardelean was on his was home from the Martini Ranch tavern shortly before 3 a.m. when he allegedly swerved into the oncoming lane at speeds in excess of 60 mph, passing a car that had slowed down to park. Ardelean’s SUV allegedly crashed into a car driven by Erick Lagunas as it ran a stop sign at Damen and Oakdale avenues. Miguel Flores was a passenger in the vehicle. Both men were killed in the accident.

Prosecutors were unable to use key evidence in the case after it had been thrown out by a Cook County judge and had no choice but to drop the aggravated DUI and reckless homicide charges against Ardelean. The judge had previously ruled that there was no probable cause to detain him and, as a result, any evidence of the Ardelean’s BAC could not be introduced. Ardelean is on administrative leave due to a pending internal affairs investigation by the Chicago Police Department.

A motorist is facing possible DUI charges as a result of a crash in Lake Forest at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Illinois 60 around 2:51 a.m. early Thursday morning. The Chicago man allegedly hit a traffic light which caused it to fall onto his minivan, then struck a second traffic light and another pole. The motorist was airlifted to Advocate Condell Medical Center with minor injuries. No charges have been filed as of yet, but the intersection was closed for almost four hours due to the accident.

DUI charges pending for Chicago motorist in Lake Forest crash, www.wbbm780.com, May 28, 2010

Alia Bernard, 25, of Aurora is facing charges from an accident last year in which she allegedly rear ended a vehicle in the left turn lane at a stoplight causing a chain reaction which killed a St. Charles couple on their motorcycle and injured others. Bernard is charged with two felony counts of reckless homicide and one count of DUI. Traces of cannabis were allegedly found in her system leading the DUI charge. The charged were brought almost a year later due to the complicated accident reconstruction. She is due to appear in court in Kane County June 2.

Aurora woman indicted in fatal Kane County crash, chicagotribune.com, May 19, 2010
Driver indicted in crash that killed 2 motorcyclists, chicagobreakingnews.com, May 19, 2010

A Chicago man, James Cox, 39, was sentenced to ten years in prison by a Cook County judge for aggravated DUI resulting in the death of Kim Brown, 27, and her premature baby. The accident occurred October 21, 2009 when Brown was between six and seven months pregnant. The premature baby boy was delivered by Cesarean section but died the next morning. A mother and her two children ages 1 and 3 were also injured in the incident when Cox allegedly disobeyed a red light and struck another vehicle, which struck the pedestrians.

Man gets 10 years for DUI crash that killed pregnant woman, www.wbbm780.com, May 20, 2010

The mother of the 5-year-old boy who died in a tragic alleged DUI-related car crash, discussed previously, has sued the city of Chicago Heights and her boyfriend, Cecil Connor, for wrongful death. Kathie LaFond alleges in the lawsuit that the Chicago Heights Police Department failed to take sufficient steps to determine if the driver, Connor, could safely drive the car after LaFond told the officer that she was the dedicated driver.

The suit further alleges that the officer ordered Connor to drive away from the scene. Steger police were called to the scene of the fatal crash 40 minutes after the original stop. Chicago Heights police claim that LaFond gave verbal permission for her boyfriend to leave with the child and gave no indication that Conner had been drinking. LaFond’s attorneys disagree with this version of events, claiming that the officer should have impounded the vehicle, ultimately failing to protect the child, Michael Langford Jr.

Mom of boy who died in DUI crash sues Chicago Heights, chicagotribune.com, May 15, 2010

A Cook County Judge ruled yesterday that key evidence couldn’t be used in the case against a Chicago police officer involved in a fatal alleged DUI crash. The Chicago officer was filmed drinking substantial amounts of alcohol minutes prior to a car crash that resulted in the deaths of Miguel Flores and Erick Lagunas. The crash occurred on Thanksgiving Day 2007 while Officer John Ardelean was off duty.

Judge Thomas Gainer Jr.’s ruling throws out Ardelean’s arrest based on a lack of probable cause. His criminal defense attorneys challenged the arrest based on the accounts of two officers, a sergeant, and a fire department paramedic who all claimed that Ardelean didn’t appear intoxicated at the scene. Only several hours later did a police lieutenant suspect he was intoxicated, at which time he was subject to a Breathalyzer.

Adelean had been charged with four counts of aggravated DUI and two counts of reckless homicide. He had been filmed drinking at the Martini Ranch Bar just minutes prior to the crash. Prosecutors must decide whether to proceed on those charges by the next court date (May 25th at 26th and California).

James V. Lobianco, a Chicago deputy commissioner, has resigned after getting into an alleged DUI-related accident in Lakeview while driving a city-issued car.

On April 15, Lobianco was driving a Toyota Prius registered to the city when he allegedly hit the car in front of him at a red light, causing a chain-reaction. No one was injured.

Lobianco allegedly refused field sobriety tests as well as a Breathalyzer test. He was subsequently charged with driving under the influence and failure to reduce speed.