Driver in Fatal, Allegedly Drunken Wreck Jailed

JOLIET, IL — The driver in a fatal, allegedly drunken single-vehicle wreck was taken from the hospital to the Will County jail Monday afternoon.

Timothy Griffin, 24, was booked on a felony driving under the influence charge. His bond has yet to be set.

Griffin was behind the wheel of a speeding Dodge Neon SRT-4 that ran off County Line Road north of Black Road shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday, police said. Griffin allegedly lost control of the car, bounced over the curb, took out a small tree, hit an AT&T transformer box, struck a larger tree, flipped over a few times and landed upright behind a house on Hudson Drive.

A man riding in the passenger seat, John Burns, also 24, was mortally injured in the crash.

Griffin was able to get out of the car, according to police, who said he checked on Burns before fleeing from the wrecked vehicle.

An Uber driver witnessed the crash and Griffin’s flight, police said, and residents woken by the commotion saw Griffin try to escape.

Griffin, his face bloodied from his own injuries, was captured nearby, police said.

Police expected Griffin to be jailed and tried in neighboring Kendall County, but the case was sent to Will.

Burns was pronounced deceased at at Presence St. Joseph Medical Center, according to Will County Coroner Patrick O’Neil’s office.