Driver in Fatal Chicago Crash Charged with DUI

January 25, 2011 - The driver who was behind the wheel of an SUV that crashed over the weekend has been charged with felony drunk driving. According to a report at the Chicago Tribune, the car accident claimed the life of a 17-year-old girl who was a passenger in the SUV. Five other passengers were injured.

Police say the 20-year-old driver was intoxicated when his Ford Explorer SUV blew through a stop sign in West Rogers Park on Saturday morning. Emergency personnel were called to the scene on North Artesian Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. They discovered that the SUV had hit a car in the intersection with West North Shore Avenue before crashing into a row of parked cars and hitting a tree.

A 17-year-old girl was killed in the crash and her 14-year-old sister suffered serious personal injuries. The girls fled from Iraq with their family 5 years ago before settling in Chicago.

Four other people in the SUV, including the driver, were injured in the crash. The 20-year-old driver, who lives on North Central Avenue in Chicago, is still in the hospital and his court date has not been set. His blood-alcohol content has not been released.