Illinois man pleads guilty to running over friend with minivan
On behalf of of Frederick & Hagle posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, April 24, 2012.
A September 2011 Champaign fatal car crash has led to the driver being sentenced to prison. The man was driving drunk when he ran over his best friend, causing his death. The driver, still distraught over the car crash, has been sentenced to serve 12 years in prison and will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence.
The man entered a guilty plea in February to aggravated driving under the influence. He admitted that he was driving drunk on the day the accident occurred and ran over his friend with a minivan on Captiva Street in Urbana. During the trial, testimony revealed that the two men had been drinking with others for the majority of the day. The driver’s blood alcohol level was listed at .26 percent on the night of the accident, which is more than three times the legal limit in the state of Illinois.
The driver cooperated with the police and accepted responsibility for causing his friend’s death. The victim died of multiple blunt force injuries and a skull fracture as a result of the accident. The driver said he never intended to hurt his friend and offered that he had been a good friend and a brother to him.
The man has shown remorse for this tragic Champaign County car crash and is being punished criminally. However, he still may be held liable in a civil court if the family chooses to file a wrongful death lawsuit. While choosing to seek legal action against the driver will not bring their family member back, it may serve as an additional measure of justice against the man who tragically took their loved one away from them. The family may elect to review the evidence, along with all of the facts and circumstances leading to the fatal accident in order to determine whether or not they wish to pursue further legal action for monetary relief.
Source: The News-Gazette, “Plea in fatal DUI brings 12 years in prison,” Mary Schenk, April 6, 2012
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