Driver Kicked Out Of Bar Before Crash Killing Arlington Heights Family

DES PLAINES, IL — The driver in the collision that killed an Arlington Heights couple and their daughter in February had a blood-alcohol content nearly three times over the legal limit and, earlier, had been tossed out of a Des Plaines bar without being served after causing a disturbance, the Daily Herald reports. Toxicology results released by Des Plaines police Thursday showed Piotr Rog, 21, had a BAC of 0.216 at the time of the fatal Feb. 16 crash. The legal limit in Illinois is 0.08.

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Investigators claim Rog, of Des Plaines, was driving his Mercdes-Benz 135 mph when he hit the Chevrolet Impala carrying Kevin and Anita Crawford and their daughter, Kirsten, 20, as they were turning in to the Lattof YMCA on Northwest Highway. Rog and the Crawfords died in the accident, but a passenger in Rog's car survived and has remained hospitalized since the crash.

Des Plaines Police Chief Bill Kushner told the Herald that Kevin Crawford, who was driving the Impala, had no alcohol in his system at the time of the accident. Kushner added that Rog's toxicology report "puts to rest our investigation." The case, however, is still officially open, according to the Arlington Heights Post.

Police told the Herald that Rog and the surviving passenger — a 26-year-old Des Plaines man and friend of Rog's — had been kicked out of a bar without being served before the horrific accident. Kushner said a bartender refused to serve the two men because he "recognized they had been overserved" and ask them to leave. Rog also is accused of punching another customer in the face as he was being tossed out, the Herald reports. It's unclear where Rog and his friend had done their drinking before visiting the bar, and police will not be filing criminal charges against any servers, the report added.

Investigators have interviewed the surviving passenger, but he told them he can't remember anything from the accident, the Post reports. Police also have tried to pull data from the "black box" of the Mercedes, but the car company has been uncooperative (A Mercedes spokeswoman told the Post no one from the Des Plaines Police Department has approached area dealers.)

Rog had a history of traffic violations and had been ticketed eight times in his five years as a licensed driver. His Illinois drivers license had been suspended four times, the most recent suspension ending Jan. 19, less than six weeks before the crash.

More Patch Coverage

Des Plaines Crash Kills Driver, 3 Arlington Heights Family Members: "The worst I have ever seen," police chief says about the 3-vehicle crash that shut down a stretch of Northwest Highway.

GoFundMe Page Raises Money For Surviving Kids Of Arlington Heights Family Killed In Crash: The money earned from the campaign will go toward the kids' future education.

Investigators Hope Survivor Can Shed Light On Crash That Killed Arlington Heights Family: The 26-year-old Des Plaines man was a passenger in the Mercedes-Benz that collided with the family's vehicle last week.

Driver In Crash Killing A. Heights Family Members Should Have Had License Revoked In 2013: A 2013 ticket against Pitor Rog, 21, that would have immediately revoked his license was not reported until recently.

The accident investigation revealed that one of Rog's citations — a Feb. 10, 2013, ticket for failing to stop at a stop sign — was not reported to the Illinois Secretary of State's Office until March 2016. If it had been reported in 2013, Rog's license would have been revoked four years before the fatal accident on the grounds that he had earned 80 points against his license after receiving four tickets between May 2012 and April 2013. That many points over that period of time mandates the immediate and indefinite revocation of a state driver's license, and the driver can't request reinstatement until at least a year later.

Along with their eldest child who died in the crash, Kevin and Anita Crawford also were the parents of a 15-year-old daughter, Hailee, and a 9-year-old son, Christian, who were not involved in the accident. The Crawfords were headed to watch Hailee's soccer match when the accident happened. A GoFundMe campaign was created by the parents from the schools the surviving children attend. The money earned is to help Hailee, a Prospect High School sophomore, and Christian, a Windsor Elementary fourth-grader, fund their future educations. So far, the campaign, which started with a goal of $10,000, has raised more than $130,000.

More via the Daily Herald and the Chicago Tribune

The Crawford family (from left) Hailee, Anita, Kirsten, Christian and Kevin. (screen shot via GoFundMe)

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