Mom Charged With Being Drunk, High, Endangering Children in Car Crash

A Chicago mom is accused of driving while drunk and high with four children in her car and causing a crash in Riverside that sent five people to the hospital.

Liliana Hernandez, age 36 of the 3500 block of West Belden Ave., Chicago, was arrested Aug. 2. after she failed a field sobriety test, according to Riverside police.

Officers were called to East Burlington and Delaplane Road at 6:40 p.m. for reports of a car crash and an argument in the street. They found Hernandez’s car had rear-ended another at a red light.

Five people in the car that was hit — two adults and three children — were taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn with neck injuries and bruising.

Hernandez seemed intoxicated, she was belligerent and she yelled at the people in the other car, saying, “Those illegals in the other car caused the accident,” according to Riverside police.

Alcohol in Hernandez’s car had spilled on four children younger than 13 during the crash. The oldest child told police her mother was speeding and hit the car in front of them. Police also found a bottle of Hennessey inside a diaper bag in the car

Hernandez was brought to the Riverside Police Department, where “she continued to be combative and acted irrationally,” police reported. She refused to be taken to the hospital for her intoxication. Her blood-alcohol level was 0.154.

Hernandez was charged with two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, following too closely, illegal transportation of open alcohol, expired registration, possession of cannabis, and four counts of endangering the life of a child, police reported.

Riverside police also asked the Department of Children and Family Services to open an investigation for child endangerment.

Hernandez was released to on bond at 10:30 p.m. that night and left with her family. But about 15 minutes later, her family called 911 saying Hernandez had jumped from the car near the 100 block of Fairbanks.

Police found Hernandez crying on the ledge of the Barrypoint Bridge. She told police she was thinking about killing herself by jumping into the Des Plaines River, but police were able to get her off the ledge and and take her to MacNeal Hospital.