A woman has been sentenced to a year in prison for driving drunk when she was involved in a crash that left a 4-year-old child ejected and hospitalized near Huntley.
The Huntley Fire Protection District, Huntley Police Department and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 4:43 a.m. on October 2, 2023, to the area of Route 47 and Conley Road in unincorporated Huntley for a report of a vehicle crash with entrapment.
McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Communication Specialist Emily Baker said deputies located a two-vehicle crash.
One of the drivers, Bianca A. Guajardo, 28, of Hanover Park, was traveling southbound on Route 47 near the intersection of Conley Road.
Guajardo lost control of her vehicle and spun out on the roadway, causing a second vehicle to crash into her vehicle, Baker said.
A juvenile, who was in Guajardo’s vehicle, was ejected from the car, Baker said.
Court records show the child was four years old at the time.
A witness reported the child was thrown approximately 50 feet from the car, according to fire department radio traffic.
A LifeNet medical helicopter was placed on standby but later canceled.
Baker said the child suffered minor injuries and was transported by ambulance to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in Huntley for treatment.
Guajardo and the other driver involved suffered minor injuries and both declined medical attention.
Guajardo was arrested after deputies found she was driving under the influence of alcohol and did not have a valid driver’s license, court records show.
She was charged with aggravated driving under the influence causing bodily harm to a juvenile passenger, aggravated driving under the influence no valid license, child endangerment and driving on a suspended license.
Court records show Guajardo, who has remained out of custody awaiting trial, entered into a negotiated plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office on Thursday.
She pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated driving under the influence causing bodily harm to a juvenile passenger, a Class 4 felony, in exchange for a one-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The sentence will be served at 50% in accordance with truth-in-sentencing guidelines. McHenry County Judge Christopher Harmon accepted the plea agreement.