Articles Posted in Traffic Accident

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Monday evening, four women and four children were southbound on I-90/94 near 75th Street when the driver allegedly lost control and struck a guard rail. According to the Illinois State Police, three of the four children were ejected from the two-door Oldsmobile Cutlass, none of them were wearing a seal belt. Four adult women were also injured in the crash, the driver was taken to Stroger Hospital. An 11-month-old, Everett Bramlett, was killed in the crash according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. As of 8 p.m. last night, a 6-year-old boy was listed in critical condition and two female children were listed in good condition.

Alcohol was allegedly a factor in the accident and DUI charges are pending against the woman who was driving. The crash closed the Dan Ryan Expresway for about two hours on Monday evening.

Alcohol blamed in Ryan crash that killed child, injured 7, www.chicagotribune.com, May 31, 2011

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Dwight Washington, 61, has been charged with felony aggravated driving under the influence after allegedly plowing into a crowd of eight people on Chicago’s near North Side last weekend. The truck lost control at the three-way intersection of Rush, Cedar, and State streets. Several pedestrians were injured including persons posing for wedding photos.

Washington works for the Chicago streets and sanitation department. A Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney told a judge that Washington’s BAC was .183 at the time and a bottle of brandy was found in the defendant’s Ford F150. Washington’s bond was set at $400,000, he was also charged with negligent driving, failure to reduce speed and transporting open alcohol in a vehicle. Washington was allegedly involved in another accident since being hired by the city, however, the prior accident did not involve alcohol.

The City of Chicago as well as Washington are being sued by the injured.

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Kimberly Bradley, 39, is facing felony and misdemeanor DUI charges after an accident that left two people in her vehicle dead and nine others also in the car injured. The 2003 Mazda SUV Bradley was driving northbound on South Kostner flipped when she attempted to pass the vehicle in front of hers and struck the car causing her to lose control of her vehicle and crash head-on into another vehicle in the oncoming lane of traffic.

Bradley’s vehicle flipped over, throwing several of the passengers who were not wearing seat belts from the SUV and entrapping others. All 11 people in her vehicle were injured and sent to the hospital suffering brain and lung injuries, broken bones, fractures, back injuries and lacerations. Three remained intubated on a ventilator in critical condition. The driver of the other vehicle was not hospitalized. Two of the victims, Jarrell Billingsley, 19, and a unidentified woman in her 40’s were pronounced dead at the hospital.

Cook County prosecutors say Bradley’s blood alcohol content after conversion was just over twice the legal limit at .165 percent. She signed a handwritten statement admitting to drinking beer that night and being the driver of the SUV. Bradley is charged with two counts of aggravated DUI involving an accident resulting in death, seven counts of aggravated DUI involving an accident resulting in great bodily harm, and one count of DUI involving an accident resulting in great bodily harm to a passenger under 16. She is also being charged with misdemeanor counts of DUI, driving on a suspended license, DUI blood alcohol content over 0.08 percent. Bradley received citations for driving to the left of center and operating a motor vehicle without insurance.

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David Soto, 47, of Chicago has been charged with aggravated DUI resulting in death as a result of a fatal accident, which took place Tuesday night. Justyna Palka, 26, was in a crosswalk on Columbus Drive at Illinois Street in the Streeterville neighborhood when a tour bus, driven by Soto, hit her. According to witnesses, the driver of the tour bus turned into the intersection while the pedestrians had the right-of-way to cross. No passengers were on the bus at the time of the accident. A witness claimed that Soto looked shocked and was crying when placed in the back of a police car.

According to police, Soto tested positive for cocaine, which resulted in DUI charges. Police also learned during their investigation that Soto was wanted in connection with an investigation of sex offenes involving children. Soto has a criminal record involving aggravated criminal sexual assault. According to the Secretary of State, his commercial driver’s license was suspended in August of 2008 for speeding and driving without insurance. However, his driver’s license was valid at the time of the accident.

Justyna Palka was an ad agency art director. Less than fifteen minutes after the accident, she was declared dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Soto’s first court appearance is scheduled for today.

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Terry Robinson, 48, was taking his 19-year-old daughter to work in Calumet City when he allegedly ignored the crossing signals and drove onto the railroad tracks at 97th Street and South Eggleston Avenue. His Pontiac Grand Prix was struck on the passenger side by an Amtrak train bound for New York. The train was going 40 mph and Robinson’s daughter, Patricia, received the brunt of the impact. She was pronounced dead later that night at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Her father had allegedly been drinking with a BAC just below the .08 percent limit.

Terry Robinson was recently paroled four months prior to the accident for attempted burglary. He was also convicted for delivery of a controlled substance in 1994. Robinson has more than 50 traffic citations on his driving record, including numerous arrests for driving on a revoked or suspended license. Robinson is now being charged with reckless homicide for the death of his daughter.

Dad charged after daughter killed in car-train crash, www.chicagobreakingnews.com, April 12, 2011

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25 year old and mother of one, Michelle Eustis, died of head injuries and trauma after her boyfriend allegedly struck the horse she and a friend were riding with his truck.

Eustis, her friend Heather France, and a few others were socializing in a Balmoral Park barn in Crete when the two girls decided to take Rendezvous, a horse trained by Eustis’ father, out for a ride bareback late that night. When the women didn’t return after a half hour, Eustis’ boyfriend, Angus Lake, jumped into his Dodge Ram and went looking for them.

An accident reconstruction determined Lake came up on the women too fast and tried to brake, sending his truck into a slide and striking the horse. Lake admitted to having as many as six shots before getting into his vehicle. His blood alcohol level was 0.147, nearly twice the legal limit. France suffered a broken leg and shoulder and may have been left partially paralyzed by the accident.

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Edward Stapinski, 36, was facing reckless homicide charges after his 2009 DUI crash, but those charges were dismissed after he plead guilty last Monday to aggravated driving under the influence. Stapinski was sentenced at the Bridgeview Courthouse to six years in prison of which 85 percent must be served.

Stapinski was off-duty when he was arrested for his DUI accident in December of 2009. According to prosecutors, Stapinski was going 80 mph heading south on the Stevenson when he swerved into the left shoulder and struck the concrete median. His vehicle catapulted over the barrier into the opposite lanes of traffic and struck a vehicle driven by Man K. “Mike” Wong. Wong was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Stapinski admitted to drinking beer at a West Loop bar from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. He declined a Breathalyzer test at the scene of the crash but responding officers reported he had a strong smell of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot and he had slurred speech. Blood analysis done at the hospital showed his blood alcohol level to be 0.223 percent, which is more than three times the legal limit.

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Jose Rodriguez, 21, plead guilty for driving under the influence and was sentenced to 24 months of probation.

Rodriguez was charged with aggravated DUI after he hit an off-duty FBI agent who was driving to a Labor Day half-marathon. The agent, Elizabeta Petruc, will likely have to be out of work for 12-18 months due to the injuries caused by the accident. Her left wrist, ankle and legs were broken, one knee was also badly damaged. Both cars caught fire after the accident.

Evidence showed that Rodriguez had been driving 60-70 mph when he struck Petruc’s vehicle and his blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit. Rodriquez apologized through in interpreter in court. He will have to participate in an alcohol safety program and perform 100 hours of community service.

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A Chicago man involved in a traffic accident on Route 41 in Lake Bluff was charged with felony DUI after he allegedly admitted to drinking a large amount of tequila.

Police arrived on scene after a call from a driver reporting that a car was swerving and had struck his truck. The driver of the car, Federica Padilla, allegedly smelled of alcohol. Officers found a bottle of tequila with only a third remaining as well as empty beer bottles in the car. Padilla refused a Breathalyzer test and was taken into custody.

According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, along with felony DUI, Padilla was charged with driving without insurance, driving on a revoked license, illegal transportation of alcohol, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and failure to yield while merging.

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Eric T. Maschmeier, 20, was paroled a little over a year ago for a six-year prison term for a botched armed robbery attempt. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections website, he was released from prison on January 13, 2010.

On February 9th of this year, Masschmeier was arrested on DUI charges after he flipped his white Chevrolet Impala into a snowbank south of 75th Street in Naperville. After the crash, Maschmeier and a female passenger allegedly escaped the wreckage uninjured, fled on foot and called a friend to give him a ride home. Police were able to locate and arrest him after they determined he was driving under the influence.

An eye-witness estimated that Maschmeier was speeding at over 100 mph.

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