Fourth time not a charm for driver in drunk driving accident

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Drunk Driving Accidents

Drunk drivers may try to avoid police officers but one man&s track record shows that it is not easy to drive drunk without getting caught. A Barrington, Illinois man who has three previous convictions for drunk driving decided to drive under the influence again and he found himself in a new kind of trouble.

The man actually rear-ended a Lake County Sheriff&s cruiser. The DUI accident occurred on Prospect Avenue in Grayslake around 8 p.m. on a weekday night. The 39-year-old driver crashed into the back of the stopped patrol car, which was stopped on Illinois Highway 83.

The officer suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital in Libertyville and shortly released. The drunk driver chose to not receive any medical treatment.

As for criminal charges, the driver faces charges of aggravated driving under the influence, driving without car insurance, driving without a license, and for failure to slow down to avoid the accident in the first place. A judge set his bond at $50,000 before his court date later in December.

When it comes to car accidents in general, determining who is at fault in causing the crash is often a matter of determining which driver acted negligently. In drunk driving cases, negligence is easier to pinpoint since drunk driving is negligent driving as well as illegal.

Following a drunk driving accident, in addition to the criminal charges, an injured victim may be able to seek recovery of damages from the negligent driver in a civil lawsuit. Damages in a personal injury case are rewarded in order to compensate the injured person for his or her injuries. A personal injury attorney can help to bring a strong case for maximum compensation.

Source: Chicago Tribune, "Barrington motorist hits squad, charged with DUI," Dec. 20, 2013