Two drivers have been charged, one of which was allegedly driving under the influence of drugs, in a crash that left a 79-year-old woman critically injured on Route 12 in Volo earlier this year.
Christopher M. Uglinica, 19, of the 27400 block of Volo Village Road in Volo, was charged with two counts of driving under the influence of drugs.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Fox Lake Fire Protection District responded around 1:30 p.m. on May 26 to the 32200 block of North Route 12 in Volo for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and located two vehicles with heavy damage, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
An investigation showed a 2011 Honda SUV, driven by Zinovi Marinets, 84, of the 2100 block of West Cortez Street in Chicago, was exiting a driveway on the east side of Route 12.
The driver of the Honda was attempting to turn left onto southbound Route 12.
As Marinets made the turn, the rear of the Honda did not clear the northbound lanes of traffic, Covelli said.
A 2004 Ford pickup, driven by Uglinica, was traveling northbound on Route 12.
The front of the Ford struck the rear driver’s side of the Honda.
Marinets was transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry with serious injuries.
The front-seat passenger in the Honda, a 79-year-old Chicago woman, was transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry with critical injuries, Covelli said.
The 79-year-old woman was then flown by medical helicopter to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
Uglinica was uninjured in the crash. The sheriff’s office on Friday announced the charges against the man.
The sheriff’s office also said that Marinets, who was the driver of the Honda, was cited for failure to yield from a private road.
Uglinica is scheduled to appear in bond court on November 23 and Marinets was given a branch court date for her ticket.