A man from La Grange, Illinois died in a fiery car accident when the car he was riding in hit a tree.

In the early hours of December 17^th, Aleksandra Strikas was driving his 2012 Volkswagon Passat in New Buffalo Township in Michigan along with Matthew Ross, 25, of Harbet, Michigan. As the 22-year-old La Grange resident approached the intersection of Marquette and Lakeshore Drive, police believe that he went through the intersection without stopping at the stop sign and hit a tree in front of a home on Lakeshore Drive.

When  police came upon the scene of the accident the Passat was in flames. The bodies of the two men were discovered in the car after the fire was put out. Officials were able to identify the men by medical and dental records. Preliminary tests from the medical examiner’s office determined that alcohol was a factor in the accident.

Accidents can tear a hole in a family. If you or a loved one has lost someone in an accident with a drunk driver, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 for legal advice. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

An accident caused by a city worker in May 2011 has resulted in a payout of $6.25 million to a pedestrian.

Dwight Washington, a worker in the Streets and Sanitation Department in the City of Chicago, was driving a F-150 pick-up truck in his job as a laborer on May 21st. Washington hit the curb at Ceder and Rush streets in the Gold Coast neighborhood and hit several people out enjoying the spring day. An open bottle of brandy was found in the truck and it was determined that Washington was drunk.

Richard Chang was pinned under the truck once it stopped. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, needing to learn to talk and walk once again. He used to work as a computer scientist but is unable to do so now and unable to independently care for himself. Chang also has medical expenses in excess of $500,000. It is estimated that he has lost approximately $2.5 million in wages.

The City of Chicago signed off on the $6.25 million payout to Chang last week. Washington has since been sentenced to nine years of imprisonment after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated driving under the influence. Changes have been made in the Streets and Sanitation department to include random drug testing for all employees,  mirroring what currently happens in the Police and Fire departments.

Three other lawsuits are still pending in regards to this accident.

While a monetary award cannot bring back a person to their full health, it can help with the expenses that accrue from an accident with a drunk driver. If you or a loved one knows someone who has suffered brain trauma from an accident with a drunk driver, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 to determine your legal rights. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

A crash on I-57 in the early morning hours on December 8^th left a Gary, Indiana woman dead.

Gary resident Randi Jackson was riding as a passenger in a 1994 GMC Minivan driven by Stephanie Cobb, also of Gary, on the morning of December 8^th in the northbound lanes of Interstate 57.  Around 6:30 a.m., the Manteno Fire Department arrived at the accident scene after receiving a report of a crash near milepost 325.

They discovered that the GMC minivan had crashed into an abandoned pick-up truck on the side of the highway. Jackson was transferred to Riverside Medical Center and died around 11:30 a.m. The 28-year-old Cobb was also taken to Riverside. She was arrested upon her release for aggravated driving under the influence and transferred to Jerome Combs Detention Center.

Many factors can cause an accident. If you or a loved one knows someone who is recovering from an accident caused by a drunk driver, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 to discuss their legal options. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

A Dallas Cowboy player posted bond in relation to a DUI charge that killed another player. The two friends met while playing football as students at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2007 to 2009.

Josh Brent, a defensive line man for the Dallas Cowboys, was driving in the Irving, Texas area on Saturday, December 8^th with his best friend, Jerry Brown, a member of Dallas’ practice squad. Around 2:30 a.m., Brent’s car hit a curb and rolled over before skidding to a stop in the middle of the road. Brent was attempting to remove Brown from the burning vehicle when police arrived.

Police gave Brent, 24, a field sobriety test while sending Brown to a nearby hospital. Brent admitted to attending a local night club and drinking there. Brown, 25, was declared dead at the hospital.  Brent was arrested for intoxication manslaughter and posted a $500,000 bond. If convicted, Brent faces up to 20 years in jail for Brown’s death.

A night of fun between friends can have a different ending when an accident happens. If you or a loved one knows someone who has been injured in an accident with a drunk driver, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 for legal advice. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

A 22-year-old Mundelein man faces charges related to a fatal car accident that occurred in Round Lake.

On November 21st, Mark Oelerich was driving north on Cedar Lake Road. At approximately 9:17 p.m., an officer with the Round Lake Police department discovered the head-on crash involving Oelerich and Araceli Villasenor, 24, who was driving south on the same road. Vilasenor and the three children in her vehicle were taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where she was pronounced dead at 11:23 p.m.

Oelerich was treated at the same hospital and later released. He was cited for improper lane usage,  failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, speeding and aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol that resulted in death. Oelerich was arrested upon his release from the hospital and remains in jail on a $1 million bond.

Drunk drivers do more than damage vehicles when there is an accident. If you or a loved one knows someone who has been the victim of a drunk driving accident, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 for professional legal representation. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

A drunk driver who caused an accident that killed a Yorkville man has received a felony conviction for the crash.

On April 26, 2012, Ryan Perina was riding as a passenger in the Honda Civic driven by Keith Stanislaus, also of Yorkville, when the car veered off the road near the intersection of Kennedy and McHugh Road at about 12:40 a.m. The vehicle sheared a utility pole before hitting several small trees and landing in the yard of a home on Kennedy Road.

Bristol resident Perina, 21, died as a result of the accident, while Stanislaus, 22, was treated and released but found to have a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit. Stanislaus was charged with felony aggravated driving under the influence. A Kendall County jury convicted him of these charges late Tuesday night. Stanislaus faces a prison sentence of up to 14 years for his role in the accident that killed his friend.

An accident with a drunk driver can turn a family upside down in a moment’s notice. If you have lost a loved one in an auto accident, call Spiros Law, P.C., at 815-929-9292 to find out your legal options. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

On a clear Friday night in Wilmington, a woman walking her dog was hit by a drunk driver.

The 58-year-old Wilmington resident was walking her dog on the side of the 1200 block of Sunset Drive on October 26th. Witnesses reported that around 7 p.m. they saw a black Ford Bronco swerving on the road before it hit the woman.

The victim was hospitalized and then air-lifted to a trauma center with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Bronco, Andrew Peterson, was arrested and booked into the county jail. The 24-year-old Wilmington resident was charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Doing daily activities such as walking a pet should not put a person’s life in danger. If you or a loved one knows someone who was injured as a pedestrian by a drunk driver, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 for professional legal representation. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

A Chicago man, considered an ambassador to the sport of skateboarding, died over the weekend after being hit by a drunk driver in Wicker Park on October 19th.

Reggie Destin, 42, had just left a bar in the early hours of the 19^th and was riding his skateboard to his car that was parked a few blocks away. Friends stated that in the 1700 block of North Milwaukee Avenue a vehicle swerved towards Destin but missed him. A second later the same vehicle hit Destin and drove off.

Destin was taken to John Stroger Jr. Hospital where he died on Saturday, October 27^th. The driver was found almost immediately on North Avenue with the help of witnesses. When the police pulled Luis P. Pena over, he did not have a driver’s license or insurance. He refused to take a breathalyzer test at the scene but later tests showed Pena had a blood alcohol level of .188, twice the legal limit.

Pena was charged with aggravated driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident with life threatening injuries. The Cook County State’s Attorney stated they will evaluate the evidence in light of Destin’s death to determine if they will upgrade the charges.

Drunk drivers change the make-up of a family in a moment’s notice. If you or a loved one has lost a family member to a drunk driving accident, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 to discuss your legal options. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

The family of a man killed in a motorcycle-and-car crash last year have filed a wrongful death suit against a Channahon man.

George Weikum, 58, was northbound on Route 59 in Plainfield on October 8, 2011. Chanahon resident David Deitrich was heading southbound when he lost control of his 2005 Ford Ranger Pick-Up truck. It struck the median and rolled into the northbound lane, hitting Naperville resident Weikum in the process. Weikum was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Dietrich was charged with aggravated DUI after the accident.

Weikum’s widow and daughter have filed a wrongful death suit against Dietrich and the golf club that served him alcohol before the wreck occurred. Dietrich was at the Tamarack Golf Club in Naperville, working at a golf outing for Victory Baseball 9U Victory Gold. Authorities stated he had been drinking at the event. Victory Baseball has also been named in the suit.

Dietrich is currently awaiting sentencing in his role in the deadly accident.

When a family member is lost in an auto accident, life seems to stand still. If you or a loved one knows someone who has been in a car accident, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 for professional legal advice. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

An accident in the small Illinois town of Harvard has lead to the death of a Woodstock woman.

Alysha Thurow-Gitzinger, 20, was driving on North Division Street with another passenger in her car in the early hours of October 16th. Just after 1:00 a.m. a car driven by Hugo C. Dells III, 42, crossed over the center line of the street and crashed into Thurow-Gitzinger’s car.

Thurow-Gitzinger was taken to Mercy Harvard Hospital and later pronounced dead. Her passenger was treated there as well for injuries. Two passengers in Dells’ car were also injured. Dells,  a resident of Darien, Wisconsin, was charged with driving while suspended, aggravated DUI as well as driving without insurance and expired registration. He was taken to jail in lieu of bond.

An accident with an impaired driver can cause varying degrees  of injuries. If you or a loved one knows someone recovering from injuries after a car accident with a impaired driver, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 to explore your legal options. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.