An Illinois woman is facing charges of DUI for an incident that reportedly occurred on Nov. 1 in Jackson County when her vehicle caught fire after leaving the roadway. According to police, four children were in the vehicle when the accident happened.
The woman’s minivan reportedly went off the road and into a cornfield around 9:54 p.m. When deputies arrived at the scene, they reported the van was on fire, but all occupants had left the vehicle. While the initial investigation showed that the van did not collide with any other object, officials were still checking to see why the fire started.
The 28-year-old woman is charged with improper lane usage in addition to driving while under the influence of alcohol. Authorities expect charges for endangering the life/health of a child to be added.
Drunk driving charges in Illinois may involve fines, jail time and loss of driving privileges. Driving drunk with a minor in the vehicle may result in additional penalties. Charges of DUI are substantiated with breath tests, blood tests and field sobriety tests. Breath test devices require calibration to provide accurate results, blood tests require stringent procedures to be followed and field sobriety tests must be administered in a way that the driver is able to follow the instructions. If deviation from the protocol exists for any of these tests, the results may be disputed.
A driver in this situation may wish to consult with a defense attorney. The attorney may review test results and police reports to see if the charges might be challenged. If so, the attorney may request that the charges be lessened or dropped.
Source: KFVS, “Woman facing DUI charges after car crashes, catches fire“, Amber Ruch, November 03, 2014