Elgin teen charged with DUI after crash that injured four

An 18-year-old Elgin man sped through a stop sign early Sunday morning, causing an accident that sent three other men to area hospitals with severe injuries, police said.

The driver, Luis Romo, of the 0-99 block of Devonshire Circle, also was hospitalized for his injuries, which were not life threatening. He was intoxicated, with a blood alcohol content almost twice the legal limit, according to police.

Romo was driving a Chevy Silverado west on Hastings Street when he ran the stop sign at Liberty Street just before 1 a.m. Sunday, according to police Cmdr. Glenn Theriault.

Theriault said Romo struck an SUV driving north on Liberty, pushing that vehicle into a parked car with such force the third car also sustained major damage. The whole floor came out of the SUV, Theriault said.

Romo’s truck continued along the sidewalk on Liberty after the crash, taking out about 100 feet of chain-link fencing, the poles of which went through the truck’s hood, windshield, engine compartment and floor of the vehicle, Theriault said.

Theriault said all three Elgin men in the SUV suffered injuries that were severe but not life-threatening. The driver of the SUV, Julio Cesar Velazquez, 20, was taken to Sherman Hospital. The passengers, 20-year-old Emmanuel Martinez and 25-year-old Mizraim Martinez, were taken to Provena St. Joseph Hospital where they stayed overnight for monitoring.

Hydraulic extrication equipment, commonly referred to as the Jaws of Life, was used to get all four individuals out of their vehicles. The last occupant was out within 20 minutes of the Elgin Fire Department’s arrival, officials said.

Kane County Office of Emergency Management assisted at the scene with traffic control and lighting for the investigation, which closed Liberty Street until about 5:30 a.m. Sunday.

Romo was kept overnight at Provena St. Joseph Hospital for his injuries. He was charged with a felony DUI, for operating an uninsured motor vehicle while causing bodily harm and with a stop sign violation, Theriault said.