Streamwood man charged in crash in which passenger injured
A Streamwood man faces charges of aggravated DUI and causing a motor vehicle accident involving death or personal injury, following a crash in which his passenger was ejected from the automobile.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Jill Cerone Marisie set bond at $100,000 for Ronny Lopez, who authorities claim drove the 1996 Nissan Sentra that ran into a telephone pole at the intersection of Lake St. and Valley Lane about 3:30 a.m. Thursday.
Lopez, 20, ran from the scene to his residence located several blocks away in the 3000 block of Linden Court in Streamwood, said Assistant State's Attorney Ruthe Howes.
Lopez's passenger suffered a spine fracture, broken mandible, fractured right hand, injuries to his lungs and severe damage to his hip, Howes said. The victim had been in intensive care, said Howes, who was uncertain whether he still remained there.
Police described Lopez as highly intoxicated, with a blood-alcohol content over the legal limit of .08, Howes said. She did not provide the precise blood alcohol level at Lopez's bond hearing Saturday in Rolling Meadows.
His background includes one year of supervision for a 2009 conviction of criminal damage to property and consumption of alcohol by a minor in Kane County, Howes said. In 2008, he was fined for possessing liquor as a minor, Howes said. At the time of the latest incident, Lopez did not have a valid driver's license, Howes said.
If convicted of aggravated DUI, Lopez could receive one to three years in prison. If convicted of involvement in an accident causing great bodily injury, he could face three to seven years in prison.
He next appears in a Rolling Meadows courtroom on Jan. 13.