Suspected drunken driver named in wrongful death lawsuit

The mother of a pregnant 22-year-old McHenry County woman killed earlier this year is suing the suspected drunken driver blamed for causing their deaths.

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed Monday in McHenry County Circuit Court, seeks at least $50,000 in damages from jailed McHenry resident James B. Long.

Long, 24, faces 12 counts of aggravated driving under the influence and two more charges of reckless homicide stemming from the April 4 crash in Prairie Grove that killed Jennifer Miller and injured her brother and boyfriend.

Miller, of Wonder Lake, was four months pregnant at the time of her death.

The lawsuit, filed by her mother, Ellen Sosnowski, claims Long was driving drunk and on the wrong side of the road when his pickup truck slammed head-on into Miller's car as she drove south on Route 31 near Half Mile Trail.

Miller's brother, Charles Miller, 25, also is a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

Long has been in custody since his arrest after the crash, unable to post a $250,000 bond.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges that could land him up to 14 years in prison if he is convicted.