Man indicted in fatal Addison crash

A 21-year-old Hillside man accused of being under the influence of marijuana when his car struck and killed a motorcyclist in Addison last year was indicted Thursday on felony charges, prosecutors said.

Michael A. Kainz, of the 300 block of Buckthorn Lane, was indicted in DuPage County on two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of drugs in the death of 46-year-old Robert Lash of Itasca. He also faces one count of failure to yield right of way.

Authorities said Kainz was turning west onto Michael Lane from northbound Addison Road in Addison about 6:45 a.m. Nov. 30, when his 1998 Toyota Camry struck Lash’s southbound motorcycle.

Lash was taken to Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, where he died of traumatic head injuries.

A subsequent police investigation found Kainz had marijuana in his system at the time of the crash, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

“Driving with any amount of cannabis in your system is illegal,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. “Cannabis can remain in your system for days after consumption and, while the driver of the vehicle may not feel impaired, they will be held responsible and face significant consequences if it is determined that their driving caused injury or death to another and they had any amount of cannabis in their system at the time of the crash.”

DuPage court records show Kainz has twice been cited for driving 15 to 20 mph over the speed limit in Addison Township, in 2009 and 2010. Authorities said his license was suspended when he was involved in the fatal crash.

Upon indictment Thursday, Judge Brian Diamond issued a $250,000 bail warrant for Kainz’s arrest. The defendant, who was charged with preliminary citations in December, had been free on bond.

If convicted, Kainz faces anywhere from probation to up to 14 years in prison, prosecutors said. Kainz has pleaded not guilty to the preliminary charges, records show.