Joseph Townsley, age 64, died after a vehicle driven by India Collins hit him around 6:45 p.m. Jan. 23, 2020.
Collins, of Park Forest, Illinois, was driving a silver 2015 Hyundai Accent. She had both alcohol and marijuana in her system at the time of the crash, according to police. She hit Townsley in the 1400 block of Western Avenue in Chicago. Collins continued toward Lincoln Highway after hitting Townsley.
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She then caused a chain reaction as she hit another vehicle. This vehicle then went on to hit two other vehicles, according to the police.
In this second collision, one of the drivers was trapped in their car. EMS services had to work to free the driver from their seatbelt.
According to police, a witness noticed that the music in Collins’ car was extremely loud. Her face was covered in blood after the crash.
EMS transported Collins to a hospital, where she had urine and blood tests. The tests showed that Collins had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.107 percent. This is much higher than the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Collins, 23, later admitted to drinking before driving. Additionally, Collins also had marijuana in her system.
Collins’ driver’s license was valid when she caused this accident. However, she has been barred by Circuit Judge Arthur Wesley Willis from driving during the case. Collins also has a $25,000 bail and must be monitored electronically.
She has been charged with a DUI and appeared briefly at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Jan. 26. Collins has admitted that she drank alcohol before causing this crash.