A Libertyville woman faces up to 14 years in prison after admitting in court that she was driving with drugs in her system when she caused a fatal suburban Chicago Motorcycle accident.
The 26-year-old woman pleaded guilty to aggravated driving under the influence in Lake County Circuit Court, according to the Daily Herald.
Authorities contend that she was driving a Dodge minivan east on Cage Road in Wauconda Township at about 10:30 p.m. last June 9, when the van crossed the centerline and struck a westbound Harley-Davidson driven by a 49-year-old McHenry man.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. The defendant was taken to the hospital for blood tests, which revealed the presence of heroine and a generic form of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in her system.
She was also charged with possession of a controlled substance after drug paraphernalia in the van tested positive for cocaine. In addition to a potential for 14 years in prison, she will be eligible for local jail time and probation at her sentencing, scheduled for May 26.
She remains in Lake County Jail on $250,000 bond.
As we reported on our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer blog, spring is an especially dangerous time for Illinois motorcycle accidents as motorists get accustomed to watching for riders on the road. In 2008, a total of 121 riders were killed in Illinois. Almost 100,000 motorcycle riders are seriously injured in traffic accidents on the nation’s roads each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.