Man Sentenced To 4 Years For Fatal Indiana DUI

The story of a Tinley Park man's arrest, conviction and sentencing for a DUI incident in Indiana (Southtown Star) that killed a 30-year-old Wisconsin man illustrates the life-changing effects of drunk driving on the victim, the victim's family and the accused.

Fifty-five year old Michael Michalski retired from his job at the Chicago Ford plant, got divorced and sold his Tinley Park home after the Oct. 11, 2008 accident on Interstate 94. He told victim Ben Larson's family members during sentencing how sorry he was and how he prayed for them.

He will serve four years in prison for his aggravated DUI conviction, although prosecutors had sought an eight-year sentence.

Michalski said he had several drinks on the day of the accident, including one while golfing, one with dinner and "five or six beers after eating." His BAC was 0.11 percent, based on a blood test taken a few hours after the crash. That means he probably was much more intoxicated while he was behind the wheel.

He was driving to his family's vacation home in Michigan when he said he fell asleep. "When I woke up, I was spinning the car against the guard rail," he was quoted as saying in the Southtown Star article. What he didn't notice was that Larson's car had been pushed up against a semi trailer truck by Michalski, who failed to see the stopped traffic, crushing Larson to death.

He stumbled as he got out of his car and had to be told to put his out his cigarette repeatedly, due to the danger of spilled gasoline. He then drank a bottle of mouthwash when saw the Indiana state trooper as an attempt to cover up the smell of alcohol (that trick never works, especially since most mouthwash actually contains alcohol).

So now Michalski's family is broken, Larson's life was cut way too short, Larson's family members continue to grieve his loss and Michalski will be spending four years of his retirement behind bars.