Excerpts from abc7chicago.com:
A South Side man is being held in the Cook County jail nearly three months after authorities say he went on a high-speed, tequila-fueled joyride that killed a retired Chicago Fire Department commander and his wife.
Doran Sims, 30, has been charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol causing death in the early morning crash on July 29. Police said he was seen weaving back and forth on 103rd Street before plowing his vehicle into a car driven by Richard Biehl and his wife Susan. The impact caused the Biehls’ vehicle to flip onto its roof.
Biehl was retired from the Chicago Fire Department where he served for more than 30 years. He and his wife left behind several children and grandchildren. Biehl started work at the CFD in 1985 and retired in late 2012 as an ambulance commander. In the 1970s he had also volunteered with the Crestwood Fire Department where he grew up.
Sims, who allegedly told investigators on the scene that he had been drinking tequila prior to the fatal collision, had a history of driving problems. According to state records his license was suspended at the time of the crash in July. He had failed to obtain insurance as required by state law and his driving history showed several other traffic convictions dating back to 2013, for violations that included speeding.
Sims was critically injured in the crash and taken to University of Chicago Medical Center where he underwent treatment for weeks. Upon release, authorities took him into custody last week on the DUI charge. He was being held Tuesday on $50,000 bond and still in custody, according to Cook County jail records.
The Biehls are among 852 people who have died in Illinois highway crashes so far this year, a number that is actually down from a year ago. One of every eight fatal crashes involves a driver who shouldn’t legally be behind the wheel, as was the case with Sims, who didn’t have a valid license.
