Chicago DUI Lawyer Blog

Lidia Zuradzka, of Wheeling, was arrested on June 13 in Northbrook, Illinois for driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, and three counts of endangering the life of a child. Zuradzka was working as a nanny at the time and had three kids in the car. Police say she collided with another vehicle and left the scene of the minor accident. There were no injuries reported.

According to the Cook County Circuit Clerk’s Office, Zuradzka had previously been sentenced to one-year in jail in 2006 after she was convicted of criminal trespassing. She served four months and was released this past March and placed on parole.

Nanny Charged With DUI, Child Endangerment, www.northbrook.patch.com, June 20, 2011

Drew Forquer, a former dentist, was arrested for his fifth DUI in August of 2008. He was involved in a crash that resulted in the death of Jeff Bondy, 47. Bondy was driving his Harley Davidson motorcycle and fell victim to Forquer’s wide left turn. Forquer attempted to back off of Bondy, but was unable to move his car. While Forquer allegedly admitted to drinking two beers prior to driving, he told the police officer that the motorcycle had hit his car.

A Breathalyzer test was given to Forquer almost four hours after the wreck and registered a .045 percent. This Breathalyzer test has become the point of contention between the prosecution and defense attorneys. While the prosecution’s witness estimates Forquer’s BAC to have been between .084 and .123 percent at the time of the crash, the defense’s expert witness claims that, because of Forquer’s liver disease and alcoholism, his metabolism would be slowed, and his BAC would have been slightly below the legal limit.

Forquer’s defense attorney asked the judge at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building to aquit Forquer due to the immense amount of variables that can create an inaccurate BAC in cases such as this. This motion was denied.

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

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.