Drunk Driving Trial Opens in Kendall County

June 25, 2010 - The trial of a 26-year-old woman charged with reckless homicide opened Tuesday in a Kendall County court. The Aurora woman was allegedly intoxicated when she got behind the wheel on Feb. 11, 2007 and caused the death of 5 teenagers. In addition to reckless homicide, the driver, who was 23 at the time of the accident, is also being tried on charges of aggravated drunk driving.

The prosecution alleges that the driver was reckless when she decided to drive 8 teenagers home after a party. The teenagers accepted her offer, but the driver later lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a utility pole. Five of the 8 teenagers who were in the car were killed in the crash. The other 3 suffered serious personal injuries; the driver was also injured. The victims range in age from 14 to 17, and include 3 girls and 2 boys.

The case is being tried by Eric Weiss, the state attorney for Kendall County. The driver's defense team alleges that the deaths were merely a tragic accident.