Bail has been set at $100,000 for an Irving Park man charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence in connection with a drunk driving Chicago car accident that claimed the life of a friend.
The 23-year-old man was found to have a blood alcohol level of .24 — three times greater than the legal limit of .08, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center.
The defendant was driving a Dodge Durango, owned by a friend’s parents, when he lost control while westbound in the 5100 block of Irving Park Road. The vehicle sideswiped a parked car and slammed into a light pole.
The friend was thrown from the vehicle. He was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
At a court appearance, the defendant’s attorney said the man had no previous criminal record and that the victim of the Chicago drunk driving accident was his best friend.
The mother of the victim said her son was back home after completing his enlistment in the Navy, where he was a military police officer stationed at Guantanamo Bay naval base. He had planned a career in law enforcement.
Federal and state statistics show Illinois is one of the deadliest states in the nation for drunk driving accidents. Of the 1,043 people to die in fatal Illinois car accidents in 2008, 1 in 3 were legally drunk and 1 in 4 had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit.