For 10th time, car fails to navigate curve on Route 72 in East Dundee

For the 10th time, a car has failed to navigate a curve along Route 72 in East Dundee and plowed into cars parked overnight at Dundee Automotive, owner Randy Klemm said.

Three cars were damaged, and Klemm thinks two of them will be total losses. One of the cars was also damaged almost a year ago when another driver left the road and crashed into his lot.

Klemm said he will continue his as yet unsuccessful campaign to get the state to put up a guard rail that would protect his customers' autos.

Paul B. Wilken, 39, of the 1000 block of Noelle Bend in Lake in the Hills, faces multiple charges in East and West Dundee as a result of the crash, police said.

West Dundee police got a call just before 5 a.m. of a suspicious car at Route 72 and 6th streets, Sgt. Anthony Gorski. That's several blocks west of Dundee Automotive.

They found Wilken there and charged him with driving under the influence, Gorski said. Officers noticed damage to Wilken's car, and the damage at Dundee Automotive in East Dundee was discovered.

East Dundee police charged Wilken with leaving the scene of a property damage accident; failure to stop and give information; no proof of insurance; improper lane usage; and damage to a highway structure, which was a sign in the state right of way, said Chief Terry Mee.

It is assumed from the evidence that Wilken was westbound on Route 72, said Mee.

Klemm said the accidents usually happen at 3 a.m., earlier than this time.

"Every time I turn around I'm dealing with this," he said. "I mean, we almost made it a year this time."

In 2008 Klemm estimates he had spent $35,000 for insurance deductibles and damages over the years.