Lake Co. man pleads guilty in fatal crash
A Warren Township man faces up to 14 years in prison after admitting Wednesday he was under the influence of alcohol when he caused a crash that killed his friend.
Adam Burkhardt, 23, pleaded guilty to aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol during a hearing before Lake County Circuit Judge John Phillips.
Andrew Gallo, 22, of Northbrook, died of injuries he suffered when the truck Burkhardt was driving left the road and struck a parked semitrailer.
Assistant State's Attorney Fred Day said Burkhardt, of the 16000 block of Mulberry Lane, was at the wheel of a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado pickup around 2:30 a.m. on May 23, 2009.
Burkhardt lost control of the vehicle while traveling at a high rate of speed on Lebaron Street in Waukegan, cut across a parking lot and down a hill, Day said.
The truck slammed into a 40,000-pound semitrailer. The impact sheared off the roof of the truck and moved the trailer about two feet.
Burkhardt was found lying on the ground near the crash scene and was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for treatment of facial lacerations and other injuries.
Tests at the hospital revealed Burkhardt had a blood-alcohol level of .124, Day said, above the legal definition of .08.
Marijuana also was also found in Burkhardt's blood test, Day said.
Phillips told Burkhardt the charge he was pleading guilty to carried a presumption that a prison sentence will be imposed when Burkhardt returns to court June 21.
Phillips said the law requires him to decide that "extraordinary circumstances exist that require the imposition of a probationary sentence" for Burkhardt to avoid a prison term.
If those circumstances do exist, Phillips said, Burkhardt still could be sentenced to local jail time and probation for up to four years.