A man from Massachusetts died and two others were hurt when a driver, suspected to have been drunk, crashed into their vehicle going the wrong way down a road in Illinois early Sunday morning, authorities said.
The driver charged in the crash veered into the oncoming lanes of Route 83 in Clarendon Hills, a suburb southwest of Chicago, about 2:47 a.m., colliding with the other vehicle, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office
Two people in the vehicle driving in the correct lane died in the hospital after the crash, prosecutors said: 27-year-old Marko Boskovic, of Revere, and 26-year-old Laura Uribe, of LaGrange, Illinois.
The other two passengers of that vehicle were both 27-year-old men from Massachusetts, according to the prosecutors' statement, though it didn't identify them. One remains in critical condition at a nearby hospital, the other has been treated for his injuries and released.
The driver of the vehicle allegedly in the wrong lane, Juan Rodea-Cruz, 25, is facing drunken driving charges. His bond was set at $750,000 by a DuPage County judge Monday, prosecutors said
Police arriving on scene found Rodea-Cruz alone in his car, reeking of alcohol and with bloodshot eyes, prosecutors said in their statement. Numerous opened and unopened bottles of beer were found in the vehicle, along with a broken bottle of hard liquor.
"It is unfathomable that in today's world, with ride-sharing services available with the touch of a finger, people still continue to get behind the wheel after they have been drinking," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.
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Rodea-Cruz’s next court appearance is set for Nov. 25; it wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney. If convicted of the charges, he faces a maximum of 28 years in prison.
