La Grange Park DUI Suspect Hits Pickup Head On: Cops

La Grange IL

19 April, 2021

9:59 AM

Description

RIVERSIDE, IL — A La Grange Park man is accused of drunken driving after he hit a pickup truck head on late Thursday night in Riverside, police said. Riverside police responded to the crash about 10:30 p.m. at First Avenue and Ridgewood Road. Two pickups were found with heavy damage, police said. One of the drivers, Daniel T. Sheehan, 61, of La Grange Park, was swaying and had difficulty standing, according to a Riverside police news release. When asked, he told officers he had been drinking vodka before driving, police said. Sheehan failed standard roadside field sobriety tests and refused to submit to a portable breath test, police said. Officers found a fully loaded, .380-caliber handgun next to Sheehan's driver's seat, the news release said. Both drivers suffered minor injuries, but they refused to be taken to the hospital, police said. The second driver was a 35-year-old man from Maywood. Sheehan was arrested on charges of DUI, failure to yield while turning left, no proof of insurance and carrying a concealed weapon while under the influence of alcohol. Sheehan has a concealed carry license, police said. "This is the third crash at First and Ridgewood that was DUI-related, and all happened within the last three weeks," Police Chief Tom Weitzel said in a statement. "Additionally, we had a fourth crash that resulted in an arrest for DUI alcohol and drugs on Harlem Avenue. There is no doubt in my mind the pandemic is playing a role in serious DUI crashes. As the country starts to lift some restrictions, people are getting out, drinking more and getting in their vehicle to drive home." Weitzel recommended people who know they will be drinking to use ride-share companies.