Algonquin man severely injured in crashed charged with DUI

An Algonquin man involved in an Oct. 25 car crash on westbound Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates was ordered held on charges he was driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Skylar Kendrick, who appeared Wednesday before Cook County Judge Joseph Cataldo wearing neck and back braces and using a cane, was ordered held on $75,000 bail. He faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison if convicted of the Class 2 felony.

Prosecutors say Kendrick, 27, had alcohol and cocaine in his system when he struck another car while driving west on Higgins Road near Sutton Road. Kendrick, who was alone in the car, lost control of the vehicle, which ended up "upside down on the railroad tracks," said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney David Shin.

Kendrick was ejected from the car, which witnesses estimated was traveling at speeds between 90 and 100 miles per hour at the time of the accident, Shin said. No one else was injured, he said.

Officers later recovered 6.9 grams of cocaine from Kendrick's vehicle, Shin said.

Kendrick's background includes probation for a 2007 misdemeanor DUI from Texas and supervision for a 2010 DUI he received in Kane County, Shin said.

Kendrick broke 21 bones and was hospitalized for a month at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, said Cook County Assistant Public Defender Melissa Wright. He also spent three weeks at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton before discharging himself against medical advice, Wright said.

Kendrick next appears in court on Jan. 4.