Family of Chicago Child Killed in Drunk Driving Accident Plans to Sue

May 13, 2010 - The mother of a 5-year-old boy who was killed in a drunk driving accident on Monday, plans to sue the Chicago Heights Police Department. According to a report at WBBM News Radio 780, the victim's mother and the victim's uncle are both filing separate lawsuits against the police department that was involved in the case.

A police officer with the Chicago Heights Police Department, who has not been named, pulled over the young victim's mother and her 22-year-old boyfriend early Monday morning. The mother was arrested for driving with a suspended license, and the police officer turned the car and the five-year-old child over to her boyfriend. Less than an hour later, the boyfriend crashed into a tree and the 5-year-old child was killed on impact.

The boyfriend is being held on $500,000 bail. He is facing multiple charges of drunk driving and reckless homicide; his blood-alcohol content after the accident was .208, which is much higher than the legal limit. Supporters of the boyfriend say that the mother knew he had been drinking and should have said something to the police officer. For his part, the police officer said he saw no evidence that the boyfriend was intoxicated.