The parents of a 24-year-old Wauconda High School graduate killed near Island Lake are suing the drunk driver who hit him from behind, sending him over 40 feet in the air, then fled and hid her SUV.
Paul T. Stanek and Carrie Stanek, the parents of Austin Stanek, 24, of Island Lake, filed the lawsuit last week in McHenry County Circuit Court against Christine S. Eilers, 52, of McHenry.
The lawsuit brings one count of wrongful death under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act and seeks a judgment of more than $50,000, along with the costs of the case.
Romanucci & Blandin attorney Michael E. Holden, who represents the Staneks, said in the complaint that Austin Stanek was lawfully on a roadway in McHenry County when Eilers, who was driving under the influence of alcohol or intoxicating substances, collided with him and caused his death on September 27, 2024.
Eilers then fled the scene without stopping to render aid, identify herself or provide information as required by law, the lawsuit said.
The complaint said Eilers failed to maintain proper control of her vehicle, failed to keep a proper lookout for people on the roadway and failed to exercise reasonable care for Stanek’s safety.
Stanek’s parents lost his service, support, society, companionship, love and affection and have suffered grief, sorrow and mental suffering, according to the suit, which added that the parents were forced to pay for their son’s funeral.
The incident happened just before 11 p.m. on September 27, 2024, in the 4300 block of Roberts Road in unincorporated Island Lake.
Stanek and a group of his friends were walking northbound on Roberts Road when Eilers, who was driving her Nissan Murano northbound, struck him from behind, prosecutors said.
The impact sent Stanek more than 40 feet in the air and into a grassy easement alongside the road.
Eilers did not stop at the scene and instead drove to a friend’s home in Lakemoor, prosecutors said.
Stanek’s friends called 911 while others attempted life-saving measures. The man was not conscious and not breathing and CPR was started on him, according to fire department radio traffic.
Paramedics arrived and confirmed Stanek was unresponsive. They transported him by ambulance to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office said Stanek was pronounced dead in the emergency room after arriving at the hospital and prosecutors said Stanek suffered multiple skull fractures.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said at the time that a preliminary investigation showed several pedestrians were walking on or near the roadway when a white vehicle struck Stanek.
Debris from the front and right side of the vehicle was located at the scene and collected as evidence, the sheriff’s office said.
Roberts Road was shut down for several hours while investigators worked at the scene.
Eilers concealed the SUV in her friend’s garage in Lakemoor and placed a tarp over it, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Eilers filed a false insurance claim on September 28, 2024, saying she had struck a construction barrel in Rockford the day before.
Eilers did not report the crash to any law enforcement agency or comply with crash reporting requirements, according to a criminal complaint filed at the time.
The sheriff’s office said investigators eventually recovered the vehicle, a 2013 Nissan Murano, in the garage in Lakemoor.
An inspection and search of the SUV revealed heavy front-end damage, including a starred windshield and dented front hood, prosecutors said.
Investigators also obtained GPS data from the vehicle’s infotainment system.
Prosecutors said investigators learned Eilers had been drinking at two local bars before the crash.
Surveillance video from the bars showed Eilers consuming at least 12 alcoholic beverages, including several alcoholic seltzers and tequila shots, according to prosecutors.
Her blood alcohol concentration was between 0.24 and 0.37 when she got behind the wheel, prosecutors said. The legal limit for drivers in Illinois is 0.08.
The sheriff’s office said Eilers was identified as the driver through the course of a nearly four-month investigation.
She was charged in January 2025 and arrested on a warrant the same day and transported to the McHenry County Jail.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Eilers pending trial when she appeared in court on January 7, 2025.
McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb denied the petition and released Eilers with pretrial conditions that included electronic home monitoring with a curfew, pre-trial services supervision, an order not to consume alcohol or drugs and an alcohol monitoring device.
McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis later removed the electronic home monitoring condition, court records show.
Eilers pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident causing death and aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol causing death in February as part of a negotiated plea deal.
Davis sentenced Eilers to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on each charge and ordered the sentences to be served consecutively — meaning a total of 14 years.
Truth-in-sentencing requires Eilers to serve at least 50% of her sentence for leaving the scene and 85% of her sentence for aggravated DUI.
She will also be placed on mandatory supervised release for two years once she is released from custody.
“This tragedy serves as another reminder that those that drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs destroy the lives of so many families in our community,” McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese said after her sentencing hearing earlier this year.
“This senseless and tragic death was entirely preventable,” Freese said.
“My office continues to remain committed to the prosecution of all those that drive under the influence and will continue to work tirelessly to seek justice for the victims and their families,” Freese said.
Stanek, a 2018 Wauconda High School graduate, died just days before his October 4 birthday, according to his obituary.
“Athletic to his core, he loved playing baseball and basketball as a kid and after high school, diving into sand volleyball and golf. He loved the competition, but more than that, he loved the people,” the obituary said.
Stanek had a “knack for bringing others together” and was described as having an “easygoing nature” that made everyone feel welcome.
The obituary said it was “impossible to be around him without feeling his positive energy.”
Stanek worked for a home remodeling services company alongside his cousin.
“Together, they were a successful team designing and remodeling homes,” the obituary said. A “Be Like Austin” scholarship was created in his honor in 2024.
Court records do not list an attorney representing Eilers in the lawsuit.
The Staneks filed a petition earlier this month asking the court to appoint them co-special administrators of their son’s estate so they can pursue the wrongful death case.
The Staneks said in the petition that their son was not married, had no children and was survived by his parents and his adult brother.
The case has been assigned to McHenry County Judge Kevin G. Costello and is set for a scheduling conference on December 14.