Van Dyke Road 3-Car Crash Leads To Drunken Driving Arrest: Plainfield PD

PLAINFIELD, IL — A 26-year-old man is facing multiple charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol, after a three-car crash early Friday morning on Van Dyke Road, according to Plainfield police.

Plainfield police and firefighters were dispatched to the intersection of Van Dyke Road and 135th Street at about 6:54 a.m. While investigating, law enforcement learned a Ford F-250, driven by Plainfield resident Antonio Martinez, was driving south on Van Dyke when he blew through a red light and hit two cars — one was traveling eastbound and the other westbound, Commander Anthony Novak told Patch.

After hitting the Kia Soul and Toyota RAV4, the pickup truck driver fled the scene and continued southbound on Van Dyke at a high rate of speed, Novak said. The truck then collided with a ComEd utility pole near the intersection of Van Dyke and Eagle Chase Drive, shearing the pole in half.

Novak said the fallen pole required a complete road closure between 135th and 143rd streets to allow the utility company to replace the pole.

The portion of Van Dyke Road remains closed in both directions as of 12:45 a.m. The Plainfield Emergency Management Agency is assisting with traffic control.

None of the occupants of the three cars involved in the crash were taken to the hospital.

Martinez, of the 13000 block of Rockefeller Drive, was arrested, booked at the Plainfield Police Department, charged with the following before he was released with a notice to appear in court.

• Driving under the influence of alcohol
• Driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content greater than 0.08
• Disobeying a traffic signal
• Leaving the scene of an accident
• Improper lane usage
• Failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash