BBB
Justia Lawyer Rating
Yelp
National Collegue for DUI Defense
AVVO
Illinois State Bar Association
Expertice

by

A Northwest side 20-year-old, Szymon Zawadzki, has been charged with two counts of reckless homicide, two counts of aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death, one count of aggravated DUI resulting in great bodily harm, one count of improper lane usage, one count of failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and no insurance.

He is allegedly responsible for the crash in which Veronica Rojas, 18, and Natalie Stygar, 17, of the Northwest Side were killed. The crash occurred Monday in Wilmette around 2:30 a.m., when Zawadzki’s car went off the road and struck a fire hydrant, then a tree and ultimately ended up in the front yard of a home. A third girl sitting in the backseat was critically injured, while a front seat passenger was treated and released from Evanston Hospital.

Man charged in Wilmette crash that killed 2, www.abc7chicago.com, June 30, 2010

Continue Reading

by

Sandra Vasquez testified in front of a Kendall County jury on Monday regarding the fatal February 2007 crash in which she drove intoxicated teenagers home from a party in Oswego. Vasquez, of Aurora, is charged with aggravated DUI and multiple counts of reckless homicide. She claimed that she went to her aunt’s house to pick up her younger sister and then various teens asked her for a ride. She said that she felt bad for them and agreed to drive them home. She did not know any of the teenagers and her sister was not one of the passengers in the car. Eight teenagers got into the car and five of them were killed when Vasquez allegedly swerved off the road and into a utility pole.

Prosecutors claimed that the 26-year-old had a blood-alcohol level of .105. A defense witness said that Vasquez’s BAC level was between .04 and .07 based on blood which was drawn a few hours after the crash. A Kendall County jury reached a guilty verdict after over 11 hours of deliberation. Sandra Vasquez faces up to 28 years in prison when she is sentenced later this year.

Driver in fatal crash says she felt bad for teens who needed rides, www.chicagotribune.com, June 28, 2010

Continue Reading

by

A Wood Dale man was sentenced to nine years in prison for DUI crash that killed two friends. Erik C. Ecker was allegedly driving under the influence when he overturned his Jeep and crashed into a guard rail on I-355. The Jeep caught fire and Anthony Ishu and Cynthia Botello were trapped inside. Ecker managed to pull is girlfriend out of the car but could not rescue his friends in the back seat. Witnesses report that he was traveling at speeds over 100mph at the time of the crash. His BAC level was an alleged .147. Ecker must serve eighty-five percent of his sentence before his is eligible for parole. He has a prior 2004 DUI arrest which was amended to reckless driving.

9 years for Wood Dale man in DUI crash that killed two friends, www.dailyherald.com, June 24, 2010

by

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the law punishing underage drinkers by suspending their Illinois driver’s license is constitutional. The court found that the legislature made a reasonable connection between the offense and the consequence, explaining that these offenders may wind up driving while under the influence of alcohol. A trial court in Clinton County had found that the law was unconstitutional, violating the driver’s due process rights by suspending a driver’s license for an offense that does not involve driving. The law, which went into effect in January 2008, requires suspension of driving privileges if a person receives court supervision or a conviction for unlawful consumption of alcohol under 21 years of age.

Taking licenses of underage drinkers OKd, www.suntimes.com, June 25, 2010
Court OKs Yanking Driver Licenses Over Underage Drinking, www.nbcchicago.com, June 24, 2010

by

A New Trier student faces two misdemeanor DUI charges after her alleged involvement in a hit-and-run involving another student. Erin Hughes, 18, allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana the night before Cook County prosecutors claim she hit another student who was crossing the street. Hughes, of Wilmette, allegedly slowed after hitting the other student but then proceeded to drive off. The student suffered severe head injuries but is now home rehabilitating.

Blood and urine tests reportedly showed that Hughes had marijuana in her system on May 14 when the accident occurred. Under Illinois law, any amount of cannabis in a driver’s system is enough to charge that driver with DUI. This is true regardless of actual evidence the driver was impaired at the time. Hughes could have faced aggravated felony DUI charges because of the injuries caused by the crash. However, prosecutors would have had to prove that she was impaired at the time of the incident. Proving impairment from cannabis is very difficult in DUI cases. Hughes will face a maximum three-year prison term and is currently free on bail.

Teen charged with DUI in hit-and-run of fellow New Trier student, www.suntimes.com, June 14, 2010

by

Chicago police officer John Ardelean was cleared of all charges against him stemming from a DUI crash on Thanksgiving Day 2007 in which two men were killed. The families of the two men were shocked and outraged by the dismissal but were told that they could continue on with a civil suit against the officer.

Ardelean was on his was home from the Martini Ranch tavern shortly before 3 a.m. when he allegedly swerved into the oncoming lane at speeds in excess of 60 mph, passing a car that had slowed down to park. Ardelean’s SUV allegedly crashed into a car driven by Erick Lagunas as it ran a stop sign at Damen and Oakdale avenues. Miguel Flores was a passenger in the vehicle. Both men were killed in the accident.

Prosecutors were unable to use key evidence in the case after it had been thrown out by a Cook County judge and had no choice but to drop the aggravated DUI and reckless homicide charges against Ardelean. The judge had previously ruled that there was no probable cause to detain him and, as a result, any evidence of the Ardelean’s BAC could not be introduced. Ardelean is on administrative leave due to a pending internal affairs investigation by the Chicago Police Department.

Continue Reading

by

A motorist is facing possible DUI charges as a result of a crash in Lake Forest at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Illinois 60 around 2:51 a.m. early Thursday morning. The Chicago man allegedly hit a traffic light which caused it to fall onto his minivan, then struck a second traffic light and another pole. The motorist was airlifted to Advocate Condell Medical Center with minor injuries. No charges have been filed as of yet, but the intersection was closed for almost four hours due to the accident.

DUI charges pending for Chicago motorist in Lake Forest crash, www.wbbm780.com, May 28, 2010

by

Alia Bernard, 25, of Aurora is facing charges from an accident last year in which she allegedly rear ended a vehicle in the left turn lane at a stoplight causing a chain reaction which killed a St. Charles couple on their motorcycle and injured others. Bernard is charged with two felony counts of reckless homicide and one count of DUI. Traces of cannabis were allegedly found in her system leading the DUI charge. The charged were brought almost a year later due to the complicated accident reconstruction. She is due to appear in court in Kane County June 2.

Aurora woman indicted in fatal Kane County crash, chicagotribune.com, May 19, 2010
Driver indicted in crash that killed 2 motorcyclists, chicagobreakingnews.com, May 19, 2010

by

Edward Cook was found guilty of reckless homicide and aggravated DUI instead of murder after losing control of his car while driving at a high rate of speed, skidding onto the sidewalk and striking a man, David Long, and his dog. Both Long, 54-years-old, and his dog were killed in the crash. Citing other cases with similar circumstances, a Kane County judge decided that Cook’s actions did not fall under the criteria for a felony murder conviction. Cook will be sentenced July 23.

No murder in death of man, dog, chicagotribune.com, May 21, 2010

by

A Chicago man, James Cox, 39, was sentenced to ten years in prison by a Cook County judge for aggravated DUI resulting in the death of Kim Brown, 27, and her premature baby. The accident occurred October 21, 2009 when Brown was between six and seven months pregnant. The premature baby boy was delivered by Cesarean section but died the next morning. A mother and her two children ages 1 and 3 were also injured in the incident when Cox allegedly disobeyed a red light and struck another vehicle, which struck the pedestrians.

Man gets 10 years for DUI crash that killed pregnant woman, www.wbbm780.com, May 20, 2010