Chicago, IL — A 21-year-old woman was critically injured when she was hit by an off-duty police officer who was allegeddly drunk in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday, July 18, 2015. The accident took place at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and Wolcott Avenue.
Officials say that the woman had just stepped off a public transport bus when the accident happened. She was hit and thrown into the air before crashing down on the pavement below. The woman suffered severe injuries, including bleeding on her brain.
She was taken to Loyola University Medical Center and at last report was listed in very critical condition. It’s unclear whether or not the woman — whose name hasn’t been released — will survive.
Police Officer Erin Mowry is the man responsible for the accident. He was off-duty at the time. Reports say that while he was originally charged with misdemeanor DUI, those charges were upgraded to felony aggravated DUI causing bodily harm. If the woman dies, those charges will likely be upgraded again.
Mowry’s BAC was listed at .092 four hours after the accident. The legal limit is .08.
The accident is still being investigated.
Scene of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary
Reports say that the BAC of the police officer involved in this accident was still above the legal limit four hours after the accident took place.So it appears as if a good amount of alcohol was involved here. Where did the man receive it? Illinois law forbids bars and similar establishments from serving those who are obviously intoxicated. The reason being, those who are obviously intoxicated are more even more likely to go out and get into an accident, the more liquor they have pumped in them.
Drunk drivers make bad decisions every time they get behind the wheel, and they should be held accountable for that. But if a bar is over-serving customers who obviously need to be cut off, and then wash their hands of them as soon as they walk out the door, aren’t they just as guilty? The law seems to think so. The law says that they’re contributing to the problem, and that they can be held liable for it.
— Grossman Law Offices
