A suspected drunk driver remained in the hospital with serious injuries on Sunday after crashing into a building in north suburban Lake County, causing his vehicle to erupt into flames, authorities said.
At around 3 a.m., deputies with the Lake County Sheriff's Office responded to the 37000 block of North Sheridan Road regarding a crash, according to law enforcement. Deputies arrived at the scene and saw a Chevrolet Silverado that was on fire.
Just prior to deputies arriving, good Samaritans pulled the driver and a passenger from the vehicle, efforts which police said likely saved their lives. Authorities said the driver, Roy R. Montoya-Medina, 23, of Waukegan, was traveling eastbound on Blanchard Road at a high rate of speed when, for an unknown reason, he left the roadway and struck the side of a self-storage building.
The impact caused his vehicle to erupt into flames. Montoya-Medina and his passenger, a 25-year-old Antioch man, were transported to an area hospital with serious burns, authorities said. Police determined Montoya-Medina was driving under the influence of alcohol and arrested him for DUI-alcohol and reckless driving.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 24.
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