Man Charged With DUI In Crash That Hurt 5 On SW Side
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A 19-year-old man has been charged with felony DUI for allegedly causing a crash that hurt five people -- three critically -- early Saturday on the Southwest Side.
Emergency crews responded to the crash in the 5700 block of South Kedzie Avenue about 2:45 a.m. and summoned five ambulances to the scene, according to Fire Media Affairs.
Lathanniel Barajas was the driver of a Honda Accord that caused the accident with a Ford Crown Victoria taxicab, according to police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez.
Three people were taken to area hospitals in serious-to-critical condition, two to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and one to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, according to Fire Media Affairs.
Two people left in fair-to-serious condition were taken to Holy Cross Hospital and Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers in Evergreen Park.
Barajas was uninjured, Perez said.
He was initially cited for DUI, failing to produce a driver's license, failing to show proof of insurance and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident, police said.
He was later charged with felony aggravated DUI involving bodily harm, and is scheduled to appear in bond court later Sunday.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
