Driver convicted in 2020 Wayne DUI crash sentenced to 3 years in prison

ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – A Kane County judge sentenced a South Elgin man to three years in prison for a drunken driving crash in Wayne in 2020 that caused a multi-vehicle accident and left two people with permanent injuries including a leg amputation, Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser announced in a news release.

In an agreement with prosecutors, John A. Schwartz, 23, of the 600 block of Waterside Drive, South Elgin, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony aggravated DUI with great bodily harm on Sept. 29, 2022.

Kane County Associate Judge Alice Tracy sentenced Schwartz on Feb. 3.

The investigation into the crash revealed Schwartz had marijuana and benzodiazepines in his system, according to the release.

Benzodiazepines are depressants that produce sedation and hypnosis, relieve anxiety and muscle spasms and reduce seizures, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

About 10:30 a.m. June 20, 2020, Schwartz was driving a 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck south on Dunham Road in the vicinity of Dunham Court in Wayne, according to the release.

According to an earlier release after Schwartz was first charged in 2020, he was “traveling well in excess of the posted 45 mph speed limit when his pickup struck the back of the vehicle in front of him, setting into motion a four-vehicle chain reaction crash that left two other drivers seriously injured.”

When Schwartz’s pickup rear-ended the first victim’s car, it was forced into the path of the second victim’s vehicle, a garbage truck, which left the roadway and struck a tree, according to the release.

One victim suffered multiple broken bones in his leg that resulted in the leg being amputated. The other victim suffered multiple broken ribs and injuries to multiple vital organs, according to the earlier release.

Paramedics who worked to extract the injured men from the garbage truck suffered puncture wounds from one victim’s bones that were protruding from the leg, according to the earlier release.

John Nixon, who was the fire chief for the Fox River and Countryside Fire Protection District at the time, said it took two hours before the last patient was taken out of the wreckage.

“The front of the garbage truck does not have a whole lot of protection,” Nixon said. “The two men in the truck were pinned when the truck’s dashboard collapsed on them and they could not get out. We spent a great deal of time and used mechanical tools to cut the front apart to extricate them. It took the better part of 90 minutes to get them free from the vehicle. … It was a long extrication.”

Two years ago, a grand jury indicted Schwartz on four counts of aggravated reckless driving; 12 counts of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm, all felonies; and misdemeanor unlawful possession of marijuana by a driver.

Each felony charge was a Class 4 felony punishable by one to three years in prison and fines up to $25,000, if convicted.

In accordance with Illinois law, Schwartz must serve at least 85% of the sentence. He receives credit for one day served in the Kane County jail, according to the release.

Assistant State’s Attorney Katy Flannagan said in the release that, “This is another example of a young person choosing to get high and drive with tragic results.”

“Both of these victims suffered permanent, life-altering injuries because of Mr. Schwartz’s poor decisions,” Flannaghan said. “Although it might be legal in Illinois to use some amounts of cannabis, driving while impaired by cannabis remains illegal and very dangerous, as evidenced by the tragic facts of this case.”

Flannagan thanked Wayne police; Carrie Kilpatrick, a victim advocate with the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists; Chris McCall, a former assistant state’s attorney; and victim advocate Linda Hagemann for their work on this case.

Schwartz’s attorney Liam Dixon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.