Naperville, IL- Drunk driving accidents account for nearly one-third of all fatal accidents in the U.S. A fact that the 21 year-old man, who caused DUI accident in Naperville over the weekend, should have known since he once served as the co-president of his former high school’s chapter of SADD, Students against Destructive Decisions. Still, that didn’t stop him from driving drunk early Saturday night, a choice that had fatal consequences for two of his friends.
According to Naperville police, David Sotz, 21, along with Sajaad S. Syed and Mihirtej Boddupalli, all of whom are college students, were traveling on Aurora Avenue near the Naperville Park District quarry around 1:59 a.m. Saturday morning. Sotz lost control of his vehicle near Eagle Ave.,which first slammed into a group of trees, then a fence before plunging into the quarry below.
Sotz managed to get out of the vehicle and swim to safety. His two passengers, Syed and Boddupalli, however were unable to escape the wreckage and drowned. Dive teams eventually pulled their lifeless bodies out of the quarry.
Sotz was taken the hospital for treatment and was placed under arrest upon his release.
During their investigation, police discovered Sotz’s blood alcohol content was above the legal limit and said he admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the day.
In 2010, Sotz was the co-president of Geneva High School’s chapter of Students against Destructive Decisions, Naperville Sun Herald learned, and once led a campaign to discourage students from drinking and doing drugs.
The investigation is still underway, but police have charged Sotz with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol causing death of another and two counts of reckless homicide, the Naperville Sun Herald reported.
Causing an injurious or deadly accident under the influence of alcohol or drugs will change a person’s life in many ways. Not only do they have to deal with the guilt caused by their actions, but they are facing a host of legal consequences, which will include criminal charges, and a potential personal injury or wrongful death suit.
In Illinois, an aggravated DUI is a felony, which often entails a fairly lengthy jail term. At minimum, a person convicted of an aggravated DUI faces a minimum of one year in jail. When an aggravated DUI involves one casualty, the offender can be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison, two casualties and the minimum sentence is anywhere between 6 years and 28 years. Those penalties are in addition to the financial penalties and the long term cost of having such a serious charge on your criminal record.
Killing or harming someone in DUI accident is inexcusable, but everyone has the right to defend their actions in court. If you are facing DUI charges stemming from an accident, you need a DUI attorney on your defense team and you them working on your case a soon as possible. When you enlist an attorney who is focused on the DUI laws in your state, you have a better chance of having your charges reduced or avoiding conviction.
If you have been charged with a misdemeanor or felony DUI, getting in contact with one if our accomplished DUI attorneys will give you the opportunity to negate the numerous consequences you are facing.
