Driver in double-fatal UTV crash near Hebron was nearly 3 times legal alcohol limit

The driver who was one of two people killed in a UTV crash near Hebron in August had a blood-alcohol level nearly three times above the legal limit for driving, toxicology reports show.

Posthumous toxicology testing on Ryan Wilson, 40, of Woodstock determined that he had a blood-alcohol content of .22, according to a report released under the Freedom of Information Act by the McHenry County Coroner’s office. The legal limit for driving a motor vehicle is .08. Authorities previously said their preliminary investigation found Wilson was driving the vehicle.

Bryan Dahm, 36 and also of Woodstock, was also killed during the crash. His toxicology report indicated a blood alcohol level of .112, above the legal limit.

A 35-year-old California man was also in the vehicle but declined medical attention at the scene, authorities said previously.

The crash happened at about 10:50 p.m. Aug. 17 on Thayer Road near Hebron. The UTV left the road and severed a utility pole, which downed power lines and led to a power outage in the area, according to authorities at the time. The UTV rolled over several times, ejecting the driver before coming to rest upright in a ditch and catching fire, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities said in August they believed alcohol was a factor in the crash.

Both Dahm and Wilson were married fathers, according to online obituaries. Wilson had three daughters, according to his obituary; Dahm had a son and a daughter, according to his obituary.

Dahm’s estate filed a civil lawsuit against Wilson’s estate in McHenry County Court in September.

According to the lawsuit, Dahm survived the initial impact of the UTV crash and was extricating himself from the vehicle when he stepped on a live electric line from the downed utility pole and was electrocuted.

The pending lawsuit said Wilson had “a duty to operate his motor vehicle safely and to exercise ordinary care so as to not negligently cause injury to those persons lawfully on the roadway.”

Dahm’s estate is seeking damages of over $50,000, “plus costs of suit, prejudgment interest and any further relief which this Honorable Court finds fair and just.”

Officials said previously McHenry County does not have an ordinance on UTV use; the vehicles are generally not allowed on roads unless homeowners associations or townships have approved them.