July 17--The father of a Calumet Park woman who died in a frenzied Lake Shore Drive crash in January is suing the driver, a well-known local DJ, alleging wrongful death.
The lawsuit against Rafael Rodriguez, known as DJ Lego in house music and club scenes, was filed Tuesday in Cook County.
Claudia Beruben was riding in Rodriguez's black Lexus the morning of Jan. 19 when Rodriguez lost control of his car and crashed through a guardrail in the 2200 block of North Lake Shore Drive around 1:40 a.m. Rodriguez's car hit a tree, skidded across the frozen Lincoln Park lagoon then hit the retaining wall and flipped onto the ice, landing on its roof, according to police.
Beruben, 37, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and later pronounced dead, authorities said.
Rodriguez, 42, also was seriously hurt and taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center with a fractured vertebra and hand injuries.
Ignacio Beruben, Claudia Beruben's father, alleges in the lawsuit that Rodriguez acted negligently and failed to do enough to prevent an "impending" crash.
Rodriguez, of the Lakeview neighborhood, faces multiple felony counts of aggravated driving under the influence resulting in an accident causing death, reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence.
Prosecutors said at the time that Rodriguez's blood alcohol level was measured at 0.17 percent, more than twice the legal limit. Authorities also said Rodriguez was speeding, and witnesses described him as driving erratically before the crash.
Court records showed that Rodriguez had logged several speeding violations and his driver's license had been revoked. He was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bond and is awaiting trial.
Claudia Beruben was a single mother and had a 3-year-old daughter, her family and friends said.
No specific dollar amount was listed in the lawsuit, but Ignacio Beruben's attorney said in an affidavit that the damages exceed $50,000.
cdrhodes@tribpub.com
Twitter @rhodes_dawn
