Driver Arrested For DUI, Passenger Hospitalized After Car Snaps Utility Pole In Half Near Crystal Lake

By Sam Borcia, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner:

A Waukegan woman was charged with driving under the influence after she crashed into a utility pole near Crystal Lake, causing the pole to snap in half and her passenger to be injured.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and Nunda-Rural Fire Protection District responded around 3:18 a.m. Sunday to the intersection of Route 176 and Barreville Road in Prairie Grove for a report of a single-vehicle crash with injuries.

McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Byrnes said an investigation showed that Stephanie Moino-Guzman, 18, of Waukegan, was driving a 2016 Honda coupe westbound on Route 176.

As Moino-Guzman was approaching Barreville Road, her vehicle left the roadway for unknown reasons and crashed into a utility pole at the intersection.

The utility pole broke in half, causing the power lines to hang low across Barreville Road, Byrnes said.

[Suggested Article] Convicted felon charged in connection with 2 separate armed robberies in Waukegan

The only passenger in the car, also an 18-year-old female, was transported to Northwestern McHenry Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Moino-Guzman was arrested and issued a notice to appear for charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a valid driver’s license and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Barreville Road was closed for approximately six hours while ComEd worked to clear the power lines.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.