The Wilmette Pioneer reported that Szymon Zawadzki, a 20-year-old Chicago man, was charged with two counts of reckless homicide and charges related to driving under the influence of alcohol. The Wilmette incident claimed the lives of two of his four teenage passengers.
Szymon Zawadzki's Chicago DUI lawyer may advise his client to plead guilty to the four counts of aggravated DUI, two for DUI resulting in death and two for DUI resulting in great bodily harm, unless he or she has a plan to defend against the charges. He also was charged with improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and driving without insurance.
But even though he's only 20, the article didn't mention charges related to underage drinking. His blood-alcohol concentration at the time of the crash also was not reported.
Veronica Rojas, 18, and 17-year-old Natalie Stygar were sitting in the back seat at the time of the accident and died at the scene. The youngsters were reportedly celebrating Veronica Rojas' birthday. Two other female passengers, an 18-year-old and a 15-year-old, suffered minor injuries.
An Evanston civil engineer who spoke with the Times-Tribune on the condition of anonymity said he looked at the crash scene out of curiosity. He said the S-curve on Sheridan Road where the incident took place is relatively safe, implying that the defendant's Illinois DUI attorney may try to defend his client's charges based on road conditions:
"The traffic volume is pretty high and clearly the visibility is not that great. But in looking at it, it looks like it's a pretty safe environment."
Police said they believe the car was traveling more than 60 mph, perhaps without its headlights, when it entered the 20-mph zone.
A memorial was established at the tree where the car eventually stopped, one day after last Monday's tragic accident.
Related Resources:
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Drunk Driving Sentencing (FindLaw)
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'Melrose Place' Actress Amy Locane Charged with Vehicular Homicide (FindLaw's Celebrity Justice Blog)
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Search Chicago DUI Lawyers (FindLaw)
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