St. Charles man gets 30 months for 2010 crash
An 81-year-old St. Charles man was sentenced to 30 months in prison Friday for purposely driving his car into oncoming traffic in Geneva last August, critically injuring another motorist.
George H. Smith had faced a maximum of three years after pleading guilty to aggravated reckless driving.
He originally was charged with aggravated battery with a weapon and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm after he told police he was trying to kill himself and hurt someone else in the process.
“When a crime like this happens, we lose confidence in our surroundings. It’s the nightmare of being subjected to a random act,” Kane County Judge Allen Anderson said.
The Aug. 6, 2010 crash left Geneva resident Mark Rein with broken vertebrae, a broken hip, a severely damaged left leg that almost was amputated and head trauma that left him unable to recognize his four children until his memory improved.
At Friday’s sentencing, Rein described how he was hospitalized for several months after the crash, unable to see his kids, and his wife Jane had suffered emotionally and physically not knowing if he would survive.
Rein said he lost income from his job as a website sales executive, his left leg still could face amputation as he ages and his physical condition has deteriorated because of the crash.
Defense attorney Gary Johnson argued for probation, saying Smith has a history of mental illness dating back to the 1960s and 1970s.
Smith also apologized to the Reins, but spent a lot of his time addressing the court, talking about how people were interfering with him caring for his wife, who has since filed for divorce.
“I’m sorry, very sorry,” said Smith, turning to face the Reins. “I didn’t realize how bad it was. I know it was bad. ... I couldn’t put it together. I lost it.”
Smith also must pay a $1,500 fine. He is also being sued in civil court by the Reins. He will receive about 11 months’ credit toward his sentence and can have the remaining 19 months cut in half for good behavior.