Lisle man charged in fatal crash bonds out

A Lisle man who police say was drunk when his vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian leaving a weekend fireworks display was released from jail Tuesday after posting a $30,000 bond.

James D. Kisla, 51, of the 600 block of Hitchcock Avenue, faces charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and aggravated DUI.

Police said Kisla’s vehicle struck 69-year-old Naperville resident Donna J. Early about 10:15 p.m. Sunday near the corner of Yackley Avenue and Ohio Street in Lisle. She died about five hours later at a Downers Grove hospital.

Early’s husband, Bill, said the accident happened as the couple walked home to the Steeple Run subdivision from a field adjacent Lisle’s Community Park, where they had taken in the fireworks display at the Eyes to the Skies festival.

He said his wife was hit as the couple tried to cross Yackley Avenue during what appeared to be a break in traffic.

“It looked like there was plenty of room for us to get across the street,” Bill Early told the Daily Herald on Monday. “It’s just a horrible blur.”

A DuPage County judge set Kisla’s bail at $300,000 on Monday. By Tuesday afternoon, he had posted the necessary $30,000 to go free on bond, the sheriff’s office said.

Prosecutors said Kisla, who was arrested at the scene of the crash, could be sentenced to up to 14 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge against him. His next court appearance is July 25 in front of Judge George Bakalis.