Authorities said a man has been charged with DUI in a fatal crash that took place Friday afternoon on Elgin’s west side.
Jose C. DeLaTorre, 53, of the first block of North Jackson Avenue in Elgin, was charged with felony aggravated driving under the influence resulting in a death, felony aggravated driving under the influence and a misdemeanor count of driving an uninsured vehicle with bodily harm, according to Elgin police.
Bail for DeLaTorre was set at $250,000 Saturday by a Kane County judge.
According to an Elgin Police Department news release, the one-vehicle crash took place about 2 p.m. at the intersection of Larkin and Highland avenues.
The car’s driver, later identified as DeLaTorre, and a passenger walked away from the crash but were later found, the release said. The passenger was taken to Presence St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin, where he died, authorities said.
According to Elgin police, the Kane County Coroner will conduct an autopsy on Monday to determine a cause of death. The victim’s identity is not being released pending family notifications.
Police said the accident remains under investigation.
Neighbors at the crash site, including those who said they called 911 within seconds of it taking place, said they saw the driver walk west away from the crash and a second person crawl out of the window of the vehicle and also walk away.
The car appeared to be headed east on Larkin, neighbor Karen Crosby said.
Crosby said she and her family have lived in one of the houses adjacent to the intersection for 41 years and have seen many crashes there.
“It isn’t too bad now, but when the city first put it in it was terrible,” she said of the intersection.
The two streets meet at a Y, with Highland bending slightly for traffic coming from the west.
Neighbor Nancy Farquhar, who has lived near the intersection for 18 years, said she used to keep blankets handy for people whose cars crashed there.
Farquhar said she was surprised one of the car’s occupants died, given that they were both able to walk away from the crash.
Both women said the number of incidents has decreased since the city put up yellow arrows to help drivers navigate roads. Traffic heading eastbound on Highland must stop at the intersection before continuing either west Larkin or east on Highland.
Janelle Walker is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
