News Reports state that Zachary Smith of Joliet was sentenced for an August 23, 2009 incident in which he struck a bicyclist on Brentwood Drive. At the time of the incident Smith reportedly had a blood-alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit. A .08 blood alcohol level is the legal standard in Illinois for intoxication. A blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit would be approaching .24. At that level a human being experiences side effects such as stupor, impaired sensations, severe motor impairment, loss of consciousness and memory loss.
Smith crashed into one of to bicyclists that turned across Smith's lane of travel. The vehicle in front of Smith was able to pass the bicyclists without incident, but Smith drove into one of the bicyclists. The incident happend at 10:15 p.m. and the bicyclists,
as required by law, had headlights on their bicycles.
If you have any questions regarding this post or an issue involving Illinois personal injury law, please contact Illinois Bicycle Attorney Mike Keating at 312-208-7702 or
MKeating@KeatingLegal.com. All initial consultations are confidential and free.
