Chicago Man Charged with DUI in Afternoon Auto-Pedestrian Accident

There are certain times of day and days of the week when you are more likely to encounter people who are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Weekends, Friday nights, and the hours after the bars close are some examples of when DUI offenders are commonly found on Illinois streets.

However, you usually don't expect to come across a man driving under the influence early on a Tuesday afternoon.

But that appears to be the case in Chicago, where a man has been charged with felony aggravated driving under the influence after an auto-pedestrian accident. Just before 1:30pm October 26, a 25-year old man was behind the wheel of his 2004 Jeep Liberty on Garfield Boulevard in the Washington Park neighborhood. His westbound vehicle struck a 52-year old woman who was trying to cross the road near the intersection of Dearborn Street, which is just east of the Dan Ryan Expressway. The woman was rushed to the hospital and remains in what is being described as "pretty severe condition."

The 25-year old driver, who lives on the city's Far South Side, was also charged with possession of marijuana, driving without a license, failure to reduce speed, and failure to yield to a pedestrian. The suspect reportedly was cited on drug-related charges on two different occasions in the past two years, although both cases were later dismissed.

It appears that the woman has very strong grounds for a personal injury lawsuit against the 25-year old. Such a suit could allow her to collect reimbursement for her past and future medical costs as well as for any time at work she may have missed due to the auto-pedestrian accident. And given the suspect's past history, there's a chance that a jury might even award punitive damages to the woman.