Bail was set at $75,000 Wednesday for a 24-year-old man accused of driving under the influence at the time of a deadly crash last spring on the Dan Ryan Expressway near Bridgeport.
Brandon Lagunas faces a felony count of aggravated DUI causing death, as well as multiple lesser traffic charges, related to the May 14 crash that killed 41-year-old Isidro Chavez, according to Cook Country prosecutors and official records.
Shortly before 2 a.m. that morning, Lagunas was driving north on Interstate 90/84 in a white Mazda after drinking several beers when he collided with the rear of a Toyota Tacoma that Chavez and two others were inside of near 29th Street. They were driving home from a graduation ceremony in downstate Champaign, Cook County prosecutors said.
The collision caused the Tacoma to go over a median and fall about 20 feet onto railroad tracks near 24th Street and Archer Avenue, prosecutors said.
During the crash, Chavez was ejected from the pickup and later died, prosecutors said. The two other occupants were hospitalized but survived.
Lagunas allegedly exited the expressway soon after and called police to report the crash.
Illinois State Troopers responded and found Lagunas’ vehicle with significant front-end damage and noticed he appeared intoxicated, prosecutors said. A portable breath test conducted at the scene allegedly showed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.09. A blood and urine analysis conducted several hours later at a hospital showed a reduced level of 0.06, prosecutors said.
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The driver of the Tacoma showed no alcohol or drugs in his system.
Further investigation found that Lagunas was driving 85 mph moments before the collision but had slowed to 24 mph a second before impact, prosecutors said.
Chicago police records show Lagunas was arrested Oct. 17.
An assistant public defender for Lagunas noted he had no criminal background, had called police and waited for them to arrive after the crash, and had been cooperative throughout the investigation.
In setting bail, Judge Charles Beach said that he would not require electronic monitoring as a condition because Lagunas’ actions after the crash and cooperation indicated he wasn’t likely to be a flight risk.
However, Beach added, Lagunas would not be allowed to drive while the case continues.
He was expected back in court Nov. 7.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2022. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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