State police say a driver has been arrested for DUI after a crash involving an SUV and a semi-truck that left his passenger critically injured on Interstate 90 near Marengo.
The Hampshire Fire Protection District and Illinois State Police (ISP) responded around 6:59 a.m. Saturday to westbound Interstate 90 near the 39.5 mile marker near Marengo for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
ISP said the crash involved a red 2017 GMC Yukon and a red 2021 Freightliner truck-tractor semi-trailer west of Harmony Road. Heavy damage was reported.
Firefighters had to extricate a victim trapped in the SUV who suffered critical injuries.
ISP said the victim, a 31-year-old Rockford man, suffered life-threatening injuries.
A LifeNet medical helicopter was called and landed nearby at Elgiloy Specialty Metals in Hampshire.
The helicopter flew the 31-year-old man to a Level 1 trauma center in Rockford.
The Pingree Grove Fire Protection District and Burlington Fire Protection District assisted at the scene and the Huntley Fire Protection District covered Hampshire’s fire station. The Hampshire Police Department assisted in securing the landing zone.
The driver of the semi-truck, a 40-year-old man from Wedowee, Alabama, was uninjured, ISP said.
The driver of the GMC, identified as Jonnatan Cuevas-Montoya, 22, of Rockford, did not require transport to the hospital.
The two left lanes of westbound Interstate 90 were shut down for several hours due to the investigation.
Cuevas-Montoya was arrested and charged with aggravated driving under the influence causing bodily harm, a Class 4 felony, and two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol, a Class A misdemeanor, court records show.
Cuevas-Montoya was transported to the McHenry County Jail and appeared in court on Monday.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Cuevas-Montoya pending trial but McHenry County Judge Jennifer Johnson denied the petition and released Cuevas-Montoya.
Johnson ordered Cuevas-Montoya to not operate a vehicle without an ignition interlock device and to obtain a substance abuse evaluation while not consuming alcohol or illegal drugs on pre-trial release.
Cuevas-Montoya is scheduled to appear in court again on March 19 for a status of preliminary hearing.