A driver nearly three times over the legal intoxication limit when he struck and killed a Naperville bicyclist in Woodridge was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison.
Salil Chander, 35, of Woodridge, was drunk when he left his home in the 4100 block of Nelson Court about 5 p.m. Aug. 6, 2023, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.
He drove into a light pole on Nelson Court and then headed westbound on Green Trails Drive, where he veered into the eastbound lanes and struck 64-year-old Michael Norton as he was riding his bike, the release said.
An eyewitness called 911 after seeing the incident and Chander leaving the scene. Woodridge police arrested him about a third of a mile away at Green Trails Drive and Ridgewood Road, the release said.
Chander’s blood alcohol content was later found to be 0.222. The legal driving limit is 0.08 or less.
Chander pleaded Monday guilty but mentally ill to one count of aggravated driving under the influence resulting in the death of another person, a class 2 felony. DuPage County Judge Joseph Bugos handed down the sentence.
Chander had been held at the DuPage County jail in lieu of $1 million bond until October 2024, when the state’s Pre-Trial Fairness Act went into effect and he was granted pre-trial release.
“With a BAC of nearly three times the legal limit, Mr. Chander had no business behind the wheel of a car,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. “The sad truth is, like all drunk driving fatalities, the tragic death of an innocent person was completely avoidable had Mr. Chander simply not operated a vehicle after he had been drinking.”
Under state law, Chander will be required to serve 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
