Aggravated DUI Causing Death Charge Filed In Fatal Morton Grove Crash

MORTON GROVE, IL — An Elmwood Park man faces a felony charge after police said he was drunk when he fatally struck a Glenview woman on Sunday in Morton Grove.

Christopher Harrington, 63, of the 1800 block of 75th Court, has been charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol causing death, as well as misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of alcohol with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or greater, police said.

Harrington was driving a Cadillac sedan south in the 9200 block of Harlem Avenue when he struck 72-year-old Bernadita Libot of Glenview. Libot was rushed to Lutheran General Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Libot was crossing Harlem from an alley at Church Avenue to deliver baked goods to her friend, authorities said.

Police told Patch the pedestrian was not in a crosswalk at the time, and speed was not a factor in the crash. In addition to the DUI charges, Harrington was also issued a citation for failure to exercise due care as a driver.

---

Harrington appeared in bond court Wednesday afternoon in Skokie.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Nic Attia said Harrington was not violating any traffic laws at the time of the collision and he rushed to Libot's aid after running her over.

The medical examiner determined Libot died as a result of a traumatic brain injury caused by being struck by car, according to the prosecutor.

Police reported Harrington admitted consuming alcohol on the evening of the crash and provided a breath sample indicating his breath alcohol concentration was 0.099, above the legal limit for intoxication of 0.08.

Attia said video also showed Harrington at a bar and officers found a receipt for wine and beer from Binny's from that afternoon. After the bar, he allegedly consumed alcohol with a witness at a house less than an hour before the accident.

"[Harrington] made admissions to driving as well as consuming alcohol that evening and to striking the woman when she walked into the street," Attia said.

Defense attorney Melanie Fialkowski said Harrington is a commercial insurance broker and 40-year resident of Cook County. She said there was no evidence of reckless driving or speeding and noted her client stayed at the scene and helped the victim.

"He is someone who is taking this situation very seriously and he is not in any danger of absconding from the jurisdiction," Fialkowski said.

Harrington has a 2010 DUI conviction from Florida, for which he received a sentence of probation, according to court officials.

Associate Judge Anthony Calabrese noted that Cook County prosecutors did not seek to charge Harrington with reckless homicide, a more serious offense than aggravated DUI.

"This is how the case cuts both ways, in the sense that [Harrington] is apparently operating a vehicle in a fashion that's consistent with the law, and if he wasn't he'd be charged with reckless homicide, and he's not charged with that extraordinary event," Calabrese said.

"On the other hand," the judge said, "we have a 72-year-old victim who's been killed as a result of these circumstances, as alleged."

Calabrese set the cash portion of Harrington's bond at $5,000, explaining it would have been higher had prosecutors filed a charge of reckless homicide.

Earlier: Glenview Woman, 72, Dies After Being Hit By Car In Morton Grove: Cops