Illinois Man Pleads Guilty of Aggravated DUI

 Posted on July 11, 2012 in Car Accidents

A Round Lake Beach man named Vincente Torres-Vasquez, 47, was watching a soccer game at Chiefs field near Wauconda IL.  He was having a bit of fun and decided to have some drinks, which is a typically pastime for any sporting event.  But on that fatal day in July 24, 2011, he drank too much to drive.

He exited the soccer field with his Ford Explorer through the wooded area surrounding the field.  At that time five motorcyclists were driving east on Route 176.  Torres-Vasquez missed four of the motorcycles but fatally struck one.  Gregory Homola, 56, of Lake Geneva, WI, was transported to the nearest hospital near Lake Barrington after his motorcycle accident.  He was pronounced dead when he reached Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital.

After hitting Homola’s motorcycle, Torres-Vasquez crossed into the westbound lane of traffic and had a car accident with a Hyundai.  Two women were travelling in that car and one of them was pregnant.  The woman and her baby were fine, suffering only minor injuries in the crash.  The driver of the car was less fortunate; she endured leg paralysis and speech problems resulting from the accident.

Torres-Vasquez took a Breathalyzer test at the scene of the crash and registered more than three times the legal limit.  The police searched his vehicle and recovered a bottle of tequila in his glove box as well as multiple empty beer cans.  He has agreed to a plea deal on July 3^rd 2012, which will only charge him with one count of aggravated DUI resulting in death and two counts of aggravated DUI resulting in great bodily harm.  He has three prior DUIs and could face a punishment between probation to 26 years in prison when he is sentenced on August 14, 2012.

The result of a nice summer drive on a slow Sunday changed many lives a year ago.  The difficult news is that car accidents like this happen more than they should.  Please contact a skilled criminal defense attorney in Orland Park, IL if your family is experiencing a devastating loss of this kind.  They have the experience and will litigate aggressively to obtain justice for your misfortune.