West Chicago Man Guilty in St. Charles DUI Injury Crash

A West Chicago man has been convicted of his role in a 2010 DUI crash that severely injured a Geneva woman, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

A Kane County jury convicted Donald E. Rericka Jr., 49, of the 29W block of Helen Avenue, West Chicago, late Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, of one count of aggravated driving under the influence, a Class 4 felony, the release states.

At about 2 a.m. Jan 31, 2010, Rericka was driving a silver Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck south on Route 31 in St. Charles, made a left turn to go eastbound on Route 64, the release states. Rericka lost control of his vehicle and drove up over the sidewalk, striking a tree and a pedestrian.

The pedestrian, a Geneva woman who now is 50, suffered several severe injuries, including bleeding on her brain, a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, a cracked sternum and a broken finger.

Authorities said the investigation revealed that Rericka’s blood-alcohol concentration was .170, more than twice the legal limit of .08.

The victim testified during the trial that she still is recovering from the injuries, and as a result of the crash continues to experience short-term memory loss and limited mobility, and has had to forego activities such as running, skiing and water skiing, the release states.

Associate Judge Marmarie J. Kostelny set Rericka’s next court appearance for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 12, 2012, in Courtroom 217, for post-trial motions and sentencing, the release states. Rericka faces a sentence of probation or between one and 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

According to the release, Rericka remains free on $3,000 bond, and as a condition of bond, must refrain from possessing or consuming alcohol.

The case was prosecuted by Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Steve Sims and Lori Anderson.