Drunk Teen Causes 2 Separate Crashes Tuesday, Injures Postal Worker: Police

CARY, IL - An 18-year-old Cary man faces multiple charges after he got behind the wheel while drunk and caused two separate collisions Tuesday morning, police said. One of the crashes sent a postal worker to the hospital with minor injuries.

Robert Ratkovich, 18, of 428 Alma Terrace, is charged with DUI, no valid driver’s license, leaving the scene of an injury crash, disobeying a red light and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash in connection with the Tuesday morning accidents, according to a press release from the Cary Police Department.

The first collision occurred at about 9:44 a.m. on Route 14 at Cary-Algonquin Road. A 47-year-old Inverness woman traveling west on Route 14 through the intersection of Cary-Algonquin Road was struck by Ratkovich’s vehicle, which was traveling north on Cary-Algonquin Road. He blew a red light prior to the crash, police said, and then fled the scene.

Just minutes later, at 9:51 a.m., police were notified of a second crash on Silver Lake Road at Alma Terrace. This time, Ratkovich is accused of disobeying a stop sign while exiting a mall area and hitting a mail carrier truck, according to a news release.

The Inverness woman was not injured in the first crash but the postal worker was taken to Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington with minor injuries.

Ratkovich was also taken to the hospital “due to his level of impairment from suspect alcohol/drug use,” police said.