Two children were among five injured after a drunk driver, who was nearly three times over the legal limit, caused a two-vehicle crash in Fox River Grove, police said.
The Fox River Grove Fire Protection District and Fox River Grove Police Department responded around 12:40 p.m. last Monday to the area of Route 14 and Route 22 in Fox River Grove for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Fox River Grove Police Chief Eric Waitrovich said a Chevrolet Sonic was turning left from Route 14 onto eastbound Route 22.
The Chevrolet failed to yield to oncoming traffic and struck a Subaru Forester, which was traveling northwest on Route 14.
Five people were injured in the crash, Waitrovich said.
Two children and an adult in the Subaru were transported to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington.
Waitrovich said the occupants of the Chevrolet included an adult male driver, an adult female passenger and a juvenile passenger.
The male driver and adult female were injured but declined transport to the hospital. The juvenile was uninjured.
Waitrovich said multiple witnesses were interviewed and it was “very clear” that the Chevrolet was at fault.
The driver of the Chevrolet, Freddy D. Ilbis-Vacacela, 27, of Chicago, was arrested for driving under the influence.
Ilbis-Vacacela was charged with aggravated driving under the influence causing an injury crash, two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol, child endangerment, improper left turn into oncoming traffic, transportation of liquor by a driver and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.
A criminal complaint said the two children injured were three years old and eight years old and that Ilbis-Vacacela’s intoxication was the proximate cause of the “significant” crash and their injuries.
Court documents said Ilbis-Vacacela was nearly three times the legal drinking limit with a 0.235 blood alcohol concentration.
Ilbis-Vacacela had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath and person and he was unable to stand in a straight manner, court documents said.
He also allegedly had an open alcoholic beverage in the vehicle and his eyes were bloodshot.
Prosecutors did not file a petition to detain Ilbis-Vacacela pending trial and he was released from the McHenry County Jail following an initial court appearance.
McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt ordered Ilbis-Vacacela to not consume any alcohol while on pre-trial release, complete a DUI evaluation within 30 days, not operate a vehicle without a breath alcohol ignition interlock device and be fitted with an alcohol monitoring device.