Man Gets 12 Years In DUI Crash That Injured 2 Teens

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL – An Island Lake man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for driving drunk and causing a crash that seriously injured two teens, prosecutors said. Michael E. Smith had a blood alcohol level of .224 – almost three times the legal limit of .08 – when he drove his Ford Ranger in the wrong lane of traffic and collided with a Dodge Neon. Authorities said he had ten beers and ten shots of liquor at the Twisted Moose Bar in McHenry on Nov. 2, 2014 before the collision along River Road, according to a news release from the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office.

There were four teens in the Neon and two suffered serious injuries following the crash, prosecutors said.

Smith was convicted of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and driving on a revoked license. On Friday, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison in McHenry County Court.

Smith has three prior drunken driving violations and his driving privileges have been revoked in the past.