Bond Set At $500,000 For Brendan Wydajewski, Accused In DUI Crash That Killed 3 People; Prosecutors Say He Was Driving Drunk At 122 MPH
WHEATON, Ill. (CBS) -- Bond was set at $500,000 Monday for a Naperville man accused of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed three people back in October.
DuPage County Judge Ann Celine O'Hallaren Walsh set the bond Monday for Brendan Wydajewski, 22. He is charged with three counts of felony aggravated driving under the influence causing a crash – as well as misdemeanor unlawful possession of a firearm and transportation or possession of open alcohol by a driver.
Prosecutors from the DuPage County State's Attorney's office said Wydajewski was driving west on Warrenville Road in Lisle at a speed of 122 mph when he crashed into another vehicle. His blood alcohol was .147, well above the legal limit, when taken at the hospital afterward, prosecutors said.
At 1:18 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, Lisle police officers were sent to the intersection of Warrenville Road and Navistar Drive for a traffic crash involving two vehicles. Officers arrived and found one vehicle severely damaged with Andrew Purtill, 46, of Aurora dead inside.
The second vehicle was allegedly driven by Wydajewski and had two passengers, and was found about 200 yards away and was on fire.
The passenger of that vehicle – Geovanny Alvarez, 22, of Naperville – was found dead, and the back seat passenger – Graciela Leanos, 21, of Shorewood – was seriously injured. Leanos was transported by the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, where she was later pronounced dead.
Wydajewski was found on the ground near the driver's side of his vehicle, also seriously injured. He was in the hospital for about a month, until being released Sunday, DuPage County prosecutors said.
"Like all alleged DUI cases, the case against Mr. Wydajewski was 100 percent avoidable," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. "As I have said countless times in the past, if you have been drinking, do not drive. This is particularly relevant now, as we begin the holiday season. It is a very simple idea but unfortunately, in far too many instances, people feel they are able to drive when they are not, and tragedy follows as alleged in this case. Don't allow yourself to become a statistic. Do yourself a favor and call a cab or use a ride-sharing service if you have been drinking."
Wydajewski's is due back in court on Jan. 11, before Judge O'Hallaren Walsh.
