A man police say may have been intoxicated behind the wheel of his vehicle has been arrested following a crash that claimed the life of his passenger. The 28-year-old Illinois resident was accused of aggravated DUI following the car accident that killed the passenger in his pickup truck. The driver was booked into the Grundy County jail.
Police reports indicate the pickup truck was traveling west on Interstate 80 when it struck a parked semi truck that had been stopped at the side of the highway. The pickup careened back into the road where it struck another pickup truck coming from the opposite direction. All three drivers required medical attention.
The driver of the initial pickup truck was treated for non life-threatening injuries and released into police custody where he was charged with aggravated DUI. His passenger, whose identity has not been released by police, reportedly died at the scene of the accident. There was no word as to how police ascertained the driver was drinking, as no mention was made of a roadside sobriety test or of the taking of a blood sample. At last report, no court date had been set.
With scant evidence having yet been brought forth by law enforcement, the count of aggravated DUI must still be proven in an Illinois court. Prosecutors will need to show the court proof the man was above the legal limit at the time of the accident. Any evidence brought forward to verify this claim may be reviewed by defense representation before being offered to the court in support of the drunk driving accusations..
Source: Plainfield Il. Patch, Man Charged with DUI in Fatal I-80 Crash, Shannon Antinori, Jan. 23, 2014