Semi Overturns After Underage DUI Driver Blows Red Light: Plainfield Police

PLAINFIELD, IL — A semi-truck overturned early Sunday, and its driver was hospitalized, after an underage driver who had been drinking blew through a red light at the intersection of Route 59 and 119th Street, Plainfield police said.

Plainfield police were dispatched to the area at about 1:20 a.m. Sunday to find a Freightliner box truck on its side on the curb of southbound Route 59. The intersection was blocked by downed temporary traffic signals, Sgt. Luke Ostreko told Patch.

The truck was heading southbound on Route 59 when a white Lexus sedan, driving west on 119th Street in the eastbound lane, entered the intersection despite a red light. The car crashed into the semi, causing it to overturn and take down a pole holding up the traffic signals, according to Ostreko. The Lexus ended up facing south in the northbound Route 59 lanes.

The Freightliner driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized for evaluation. Of the four people in the Lexus, two suffered similar injuries, and one was hospitalized.

The Lexus driver, an 18-year-old boy, was cited for improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, disobeying a traffic control device, driving in the wrong lane and illegal consumption of alcohol by a person under 21. Officers also filed an administrative zero-tolerance DUI sworn report against the boy.

"The 'legal limit' for his BAC is .000 — the charges and resulting Zero Tolerance DUI process indicate he was over the legal limit for someone his age," Ostreko told Patch.

The intersection was closed and Route 59 was blocked until about 7 a.m. Sunday when the Illinois Department of Transportation cleared the scene. The intersection briefly closed again at 9 a.m. for final repairs to the temporary traffic signals.