Intentionally Caused Crash Critically Injures 1-Year-Old: Sheriff

LAKE BLUFF, IL — Four people were taken to the hospital Saturday night after a passenger grabbed a the steering wheel of a car during an argument, causing it swerve off the road and strike a tree, authorities said. A 1-year-old boy riding in the back seat was critically injured and remained hospitalized Monday. The passenger faces two counts of reckless conduct, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Derwin E. Guadarrama-Jimenez, 22, of the 100 block of South Elmwood Avenue in Waukegan, was riding in the front seat of a 2008 Honda driven by a 22-year-old Waukegan woman, according to the sheriff's office. In addition to the 1-year-old, a 15-year-old boy was riding in the back seat around 8 p.m. as they headed southbound on Route 41 north of Route 176.

Guadarrama-Jimez and the driver were arguing, according to the sheriff's office, and during the fight he yanked on the steering wheel and turned it. That sent the car off the road and into a tree. The driver and the baby were taken to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville before the 1-year-old was transferred to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge with critical injuries. The teenage passenger and Guadarrama-Jimenez were taken to Lake Forest Hospital for treatment.

After his release from the hospital, Guadarrama-Jimenez was arrested and charged with two counts of reckless conduct – both felony and misdemeanor. The 22-year-old driver and her 15-year-old passenger have been released from hospital. The 1-year-old remained at Lutheran General in stable condition, according to the sheriff's office.

Guadarrama-Jimenez was ordered held at Lake County Jail in lieu of a $7,500 cash portion of his bail, according to the sheriff's office. He is due back in court Tuesday for a bond review hearing. A preliminary hearing on his case was set for Sept. 9.