FREE CONSULTATION  
AVAILABLE 24/7  
  618-307-4192
FREE CONSULTATION  AVAILABLE 24/7   618-307-4192

FREE CONSULTATION 24/7  |  618-307-4192

Alcohol use suspected in fatal Illinois pedestrian accident

On Behalf of | Sep 2, 2014 | Drunk Driving-DUI Charges

Illinois media outlets have reported that a guitarist in a popular Chicago band may have been under the influence when he allegedly hit and killed a pedestrian on the evening of Aug. 21. The 33-year-old man’s bail was set at $200,000 when he appeared in a Cook County court on Aug. 23 to face drunk driving charges. The pedestrian accident took place on West North Avenue in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood at approximately 8:24 p.m.

An off-duty police officer claims that he saw the pedestrian crossing the street in a marked crosswalk when he was struck, and he says that the driver seemed unsteady on his feet after pulling over and exiting his vehicle. He estimated the vehicle’s speed to be about 40 mph.

Responding officers stated that the driver smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes when they arrived at the scene. According to reports, the driver also refused to perform a field sobriety test. According to a Cook County prosecutor, the man’s blood alcohol level was subsequently measured by a breath test six hours after the accident. The test is said to have found his blood alcohol level to be .161 percent, which is more than double the .08 percent legal limit in Illinois.

While penalties for drunk driving can be severe when an accident leads to injury or death, proving these charges is sometimes a challenge for prosecutors. This type of case often hinges on the results of toxicology tests used to measure a suspected drunk driver’s blood alcohol level and the statements of police officers involved. An attorney could closely scrutinize such evidence as it may be inadmissible if strict protocols were not followed.

Source: NBC Chicago, “Chicago Guitarist Charged With DUI In Fatal Crash“, August 27, 2014

Archives

Litigator of The Year - 2023 | American Institute of Trial Lawyers
Nation's Premier | NACDA | Top Ten Ranking | 2013
Criminal Defense | Attorney And Practice Magazine's Top 10 Attorney | 2020
Criminal Defense | Attorney And Practice Magazine's Top 10 Attorney | 2021
Expertise | Best Criminal Defense Lawyers in St. Louis | 2020
Best of the Best Attorneys | Top 10 | Est-2019
Rated By Super Lawyers | Jessica J Koester | SuperLawyers.com
America's Best Attorney | Top 10 Attorneys | Criminal Defense | 2021
Elite Lawyer | Criminal Defense | Jessica Koester | 2022