Drunk Driver Smashes Into Evanston Daycare: Cops

EVANSTON, IL — A local woman who smashed into an Evanston daycare with children inside Tuesday morning had more than three times the legal limit of alcohol in her system, police said. The allegedly drunk driver was the only person injured in the crash, which forced a city building inspector to come to the scene to assess the structural integrity of the Reba Early Learning Center at 740 Custer Ave.

Trina Bennett, 57, of the 1200 block of Hull Terrace, drove a gray Honda Civic into the south wall of the building at about 8:30 a.m., police said. She was injured with cuts to her forehead and was taken to St. Francis Hospital by Evanston Fire Department paramedics and later charged.

The car did not break through the wall. There were no children hurt or reports of any other injuries. At the time of the crash, there were five kids and two adults inside. The scene of the crash was cleared at about 9 a.m. after the Honda had apparently jumped the curb and shredded a tire before striking the one-story building.

The Evanston woman was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, damage to city property, driving without insurance and failure to reduce speed. She is due in court March 28.