Nurse sentenced to 10 years in prison for DUI
When Roberto Chavez's family visits him, they do not know if he even recognizes their faces.
He cannot walk or talk. His one side is paralyzed. He still can weep, though, which his family said is often the case.
As a nurse, Sandra J. Yusczak-Bunge often helped people like him. In a sad irony, it was her reckless actions June 25, 2005 that landed Chavez in a nursing home with severe brain damage.
The 54-year-old Bellwood woman was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for driving drunk when she struck Chavez in a construction zone as he worked on I-88 near Naperville. She had a blood-alcohol level of .19, more than twice the legal threshold of .08.
Yusczak-Bunge pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI earlier this year. Prosecutors Liam Brennan and Brian Perkins agreed not to seek more than a 10-year prison term in exchange for her plea. They also dropped a lesser charge alleging she fled afterward.
Heading home after drinking wine at a friend's house, Yusczak-Bunge drove into a barricaded area of I-88, hit Chavez and continued eastbound. She exited at Ogden Avenue. A motorist led police to Yusczak-Bunge while trailing her.
Chavez, 49, of Chicago, remains in a semi-vegetative state. His wife and four children told the judge about their anguish, both emotional and financial.
"My husband was the glue that held our family together," Ana Maria Chavez wrote in a letter her daughter read in court. "Our lives will never be the same. I just pray that justice will be served, and that the woman gets what she deserves."
Defense attorneys John Quinn and Donald Ramsell sought probation after citing the defendant's efforts to change. She's participated in Alcoholics Anonymous three times a week and sought extensive counseling for alcoholism and bipolar disorder while remaining sober for this past two years while being free on bond.
But, in handing down the tough punishment, DuPage Circuit Judge Kathryn Creswell said the tragedy must serve as an example to deter others from such reckless conduct, especially in construction zones.
"Our society demands an increased level of caution when you're driving in those areas," the judge said.
Yusczak-Bunge, who had a DUI conviction in 1989, will be eligible for parole after serving half of the 10-year prison term. In a tearful statement, she apologized to the Chavez family.
"I am still trying to learn to live with this guilt," she said. "Through all of this disaster, I have made a vow to devote my life to helping others. Maybe I can spare another family from the horror you had to endure because of my actions."