Chicago DUI Lawyer Blog

Michael Villanueva, 25, was pronounced dead at the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood after a DUI crash on the Eisenhower Expressway near Oak Park.

Villanueva was standing outside his vehicle, which had crashed into a wall on the expressway, when he was struck by an SUV driven by a 61 year old woman. The woman was charged with driving under the influence as a result of the crash.

Villanueva was initially taken to the west suburban hospital in critical condition and died more than a week later.

Woman charged with DUI in fatal Oak Park expressway crash, www.suntimes.com, August 23, 2011

A firetruck tanker was overturned after being struck by another vehicle on Route 45. The tanker was responding to an emergency with it's sirens and lights activated seconds before being struck by a 1999 Oldsmobile driven by a 27 year old woman.

The woman was cited for Driving without a Valid License and No Proof of Insurance. The woman, attempting to make a left turn just as the fire tanker was passing a vehicle behind her, failed to yield to the emergency vehicle. Both vehicles swerved off the road to the right, causing the firetruck to overturn. The driver of the Oldsmobile was taken to Riverside Medical Center in serious condition.

Two of the firefighters were also taken to nearby hospitals, both in serious condition.

2 Kankakee County firefighters injured in crash on Route 45, www.chicagotribune.com, August 20, 2011

Annabella Loerop, 4, was killed when she was hit by a vehicle driven by an allegedly drunk teen.

The 17 year old, Deandre Wolf, has been charged with driving under the influence of marijuana and reckless homicide in the death of the four year old.

Wolf, 16 years old at the time of the incident, was driving a Buick when he struck Annabella as she ran into the street chasing after a ball.

The charges against Wolf are both felonies, bail was set at $250,000.

Oak Forest teen charged with DUI in crash that killed 4-year old Tinley Park Girl, www.oakforest.patch.com, August 16, 2011

Teen Charged with DUI, reckless homicide in death of girl, 4, www.chicagotribune.com, August 15, 2011

William Anthony Howe was driving a Porsche the wrong-way on Interstate 88 when he struck a vehicle killing a woman and her father and seriously injuring her husband.

Howe remains hospitalized. He has not yet been charged with the crash or been confirmed as the driver. However, witnesses reported he was swerving all over the road and throwing handfuls of cash out the window.

The victims of the crash, Farnaza Ali and her father, Sherali Shalwani, were both killed. Ali's husband was hospitalized in critical condition.

Howe has been a licensed dentist since 1993. He filed for bankruptcy several years ago, was divorced in 2003, and his Naperville home is in foreclosure.

Howe was convicted in DuPage County in 2010 for having open alcohol in his vehicle. He was also arrested in Naperville in 2008 for driving under the influence of drugs, having expired plates, failure to signal and passing in a no passing zone - three of those charges were dropped.

Naperville dentist with DUI history caused fatal Porsche crash, police say, www.myfoxchicago.com, August 10, 2011

Richard Strum, 35, of the northwest side of Chicago faces a total of five felony counts of DUI after crashing his Mustang into another car killing the driver and her teenage son. He was also charged with driving on a suspended license, failure to reduce speed and operating a vehicle without insurance.

Claudia Delia and her son, Bryan, 16, were both killed in the the accident while three other children in the car suffered injuries.

Strum was recently cited for driving without a valid license this pass June. He remains in stable condition at Advocated Lutheran General Hospital. A Cook County judge set bond at $2 million.

Driver in fatal crash faces felony DUI charges, www.nbcchicago.com, August 11, 2011

ESPN analyst and former Chicago Bulls player, Jalen Rose, was arrested last March for DUI after his vehicle veered off of a snowy road. There were no injuries in the accident. The 38-year-old blew a .12 after the arrest.

Rose was convicted on the charge last week in Bloomfield Hills and, despite this being his first DUI, Rose was sentenced to serve 20 days in the Oakland County Jail. He began serving that sentence on August 2nd. Rose graduated from the University of Michigan and has played for the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, and Phoenix Suns.

Former U-M standout Jalen Rose starts 20-day jail sentence, www.examiner.com, August 2, 2011

Rose starts serving prison sentence, www.foxsports.com, August 2, 2011

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled in April that prosecutors can upgrade charges to a felony in a fatal crash if any trace of an illegal drug is found in the defendant's system regardless of evidence of impairment. The law applies to both illicit drugs and the unlawful use of controlled substances.

This ruling came out of a Christmas Day crash in which 24-year-old Aaron Martin left a bar in Peoria and hit a car head-on killing two women. Prosecutors are now able to upgrade charges without showing any connection between the drugs and the crash as long as the drug was found in the defendant's system.

Critics contend that this ruling gives prosecutors an unfair advantage. Prosecutors in Cook, DuPage and Kane counties have all used the Supreme Court decision to upgrade charges. In one case, DuPage prosecutors upgraded a charge to a felony aggravated DUI involving drugs because the driver admitted to taking "one or two" hits of marijuana the night before the fatal crash. The possible sentence for the driver has now been enhanced from 12 months in jail to three to fourteen years in prison.

State Supreme Court ruling on drugged driving raises fairness questions, www.chicagotribune.com, July 31, 2011

Miguel Salas, 24, and Juan Martinez, 25 have both been charged with aggravated battery after allegedly beating a cabdriver after getting a ride from Rolling Meadows to Mount Prospect. The charge is considered to a class-three felony and punishable by two to five years in prison. Salas has also been charged with attempted robbery.

After paying their fare, Salas allegedly wrapped his arm around the cabdriver's neck and punched him. The cabdriver escaped the vehicle and called police. Salas then followed the cabdriver out of the vehicle and continued the beating and, when police arrived on scene, the men fled.

Salas is currently on parole after being convicted of aggravated DUI. Bail has been by a Cook County judge at $75,000 for Salas and $50,000 for Martinez. They are due to appear in court on August 16th.

Mount Prospect men charged with beating cabbie, www.dailyherald.com, July 25, 2011

Mike Adamle, a former Chicago Bear, had his drunk-driving charges dismissed by Cook County prosecutors after it was determined that he was well under the legal limit of .08.

The sportscaster was pulled over by Evanston police in January after allegedly disobeying a flashing red traffic signal. After being taken to the station, Adamle's blood-alcohol content read .04. He was cleared of the charges.

Mike Adamle DUI: Chicago sportscaster cleared of charges, www.chicagotribune.com, July 30, 2011

In November of 2010, 21-year-old Jay Yi of Hoffman Estates was involved in a single-car crash which resulted in the death of his passenger, 20-year-old Christopher Vega. Yi had a blood alcohol content of .191, more than twice the legal limit, and plead guilty to aggravated DUI.

Yi was out on $200,000 bond, but last month his bond was revoked and he was sentenced to four years in prison for failing to comply with the conditions of the bond. Yi failed to meet with pretrial service officers and failed two drug tests. A Cook County Judge at the Rolling Meadows Courthouse recommended Yi for the Illinois Department of Correction Impact Incarceration Program, otherwise known as boot camp. If admitted to boot camp, Yi will be required to complete a 120-day program consisting of military-style training, substance abuse counseling, and life skills training and education. If he fails to complete the program or if the program does not accept him, it will be mandatory that he serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.

Hoffman Estates man gets 4 years for fatal crash, www.dailyherald.com, July 26, 2011