Illinois driver faces felony DUI charge following accident

A Chicago woman was charged with a felony DUI after a sole-vehicle accident left a 70-year-old man dead. The woman was driving a vehicle that hit the I-55 overpass, causing the vehicle to flip onto its side. The man was a passenger in the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman and another passenger were treated for injuries, and the woman was later charged with aggravated DUI and DUI. The woman is being held in county jail and her bail has been set at $100,000. She will need to post $10,000 to be released. DUI charges can be reduced or dismissed if the right DUI defense strategy is used.

In many drunk driving cases, a police officer will stop a driver for erratic driving or a traffic violation. Once the officer pulls the vehicle over, the officer may notice that the driver is exhibiting signs of intoxication such as slurred speech or bloodshot eyes. The officer may then ask the driver to submit to a Breathalyzer test to determine the driver’s blood alcohol content or ask the driver to take a field sobriety test. Based on the test results and their observations, the officer may determine that the driver was driving while intoxicated and arrest the driver for a DUI.

However, not all DUI arrests occur as a result of a traffic stop. In some cases, a vehicle will be involved in an accident and when the officer arrives on the scene, they may determine that the driver was driving while intoxicated.

If there was an accident and the driver’s intoxicated driving proximately caused great bodily harm or permanent disability to someone else, the intoxicated driver may face a felony or aggravated DUI charge, according to 625-ILCS 5/11-501(d)(1)(C). If the accident resulted in death, the driver could face a Class 2 felony and three to 14 years in prison, if convicted. For a thorough evaluation of your DUI charges, consider speaking to a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.