A man who crashed a car with his young daughters inside was charged with driving under the influence before dying from his injuries.
Javier Gaspar-Garcia was allegedly driving while intoxicated Feb. 5 in northwest suburban Palatine when he crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into a car, Palatine police said in a statement.
He was attempting to turn into a parking lot at 5:45 p.m. in the 1100 block of East Dundee Road, police said.
Gaspar-Garcia, 41, of Palatine, was not wearing a seatbelt, but his passengers were, police said. A 22-year-old woman was in the passenger seat, and his 4- and 5-year-old daughters were in the back seats. They suffered minor injuries.
The driver of the other car was uninjured, police said.
Gaspar-Garcia was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he died two days later, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
An autopsy found he died from multiple injuries he suffered in the crash. His death was ruled an accident.
Police announced Monday that Gaspar-Garcia’s blood alcohol content after the crash was five times over the legal limit. He was charged with DUI, failure to yield while turning left and driving while uninsured, police said.
Gaspar-Garcia’s license was already suspended for a previous DUI conviction, police said. He was also wanted by Cook County sheriff’s police on an arrest warrant for DUI.
