An allegedly intoxicated driver was held on $750,000.00 bond following a fatal car accident in Chicago’s South Loop.
On April 30, 2017, at approximately 11:40 p.m., authorities found two people trapped inside a 2011 Lincoln sedan that had apparently crashed near a brick embankment at Indiana Avenue and Roosevelt Road. Driver Samantha Salazar, 27, of Humboldt Park, and passenger James Pickett, 52, of Auburn Gresham, were both extricated from the vehicle and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Mr. Pickett was later pronounced dead at approximately 1:03 a.m. that Monday.
Ms. Salazar was hospitalized for injuries to her right leg. She also had a blood alcohol content of over 0.08 percent. Chicago Police charged Ms. Salazar on multiple counts, including aggravated DUI, misdemeanor DUI, reckless homicide involving a motor vehicle, failure to reduce her speed to avoid a crash, having no insurance, and driving on a suspended license.
On May 4, Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered Ms. Salazar, who was still hospitalized at that time, to be held on a $750,000.00 bond. Ms. Salazar was scheduled to make an appearance in court the following day.
INTOXICATED DRIVERS
Intoxicated drivers, who are defined in Illinois as motorists with blood alcohol contents in excess of the legal limit of 0.08 percent, continue to be a danger to themselves and others, both in Illinois and in the country as a whole. In fact, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation, more than 33 percent of all fatal car accidents in 2011 involved alcohol use.
GWC Injury Lawyers prosecutes a wide variety of injury cases throughout Illinois, including those involving intoxicated drivers, workers’ compensation, construction accidents, medical malpractice, and product liability. If you or your loved one has been injured by an intoxicated driver or by some other means, please contact our office for a free legal consultation to see if you may be eligible for financial compensation for your injuries.
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