Suburban man was under the influence when he crashed into tree with kids in car: prosecutors
Eric Hernandez
HANOVER PARK, Ill. - A Hanover Park man faces multiple charges after allegedly driving under the influence, crashing into a tree and injuring two children in his vehicle over the weekend.
Eric Hernandez, 31, is charged with two counts of aggravated DUI (great bodily harm) along with several misdemeanor and petty traffic offenses. Charges include two counts of driving too fast for conditions or failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident and two counts of child restraint violation for children under eight, prosecutors said.
Around 6:37 p.m. on Saturday, Hanover Park police responded to a crash with injuries in the 6N 220 block of County Farm Road. Officers discovered a black Honda CRV with severe front-end damage in the front yard of a nearby residence, facing westbound.
Two children, identified as Hernandez’s son and stepdaughter, were found lying in the grass. His son had significant facial injuries, with visible blood, while his stepdaughter appeared to have an arm injury and was visibly upset, prosecutors said.
An investigation determined that Hernandez had been traveling at a high speed southbound on County Farm Road when he rear-ended a vehicle moving at about 40 mph. After the collision, Hernandez’s vehicle allegedly swerved into oncoming lanes, veered off the road, and struck a tree.
Both Hernandez and the children were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Prosecutors reported that Hernandez’s blood-alcohol content was 0.151.
The driver of the other vehicle was not injured.
"It is alleged that after he had been drinking, Mr. Hernandez got behind the wheel of his car with two children on board not restrained by a child seat and crashed his car, first into another vehicle and then into a tree, causing serious injuries to the children in his car," said DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin. "This type of dangerous behavior put not only the children in his car in great danger, but also put the motoring public at risk. It is my sincerest hope that the young children hurt as a result of Mr. Hernandez’s alleged actions will fully recover from their injuries."
A judge denied pre-trial release for Hernandez, who is scheduled to appear in court again on Dec. 9.