87-Year-Old Marine Hit in Crosswalk by Drunk Driver, Survives

Wayne Davis was crossing the street when 26-year-old repeat offender Michael Izeta blasted through a red light and sent the 87-year-old former Marine flying through the air. Amazingly enough, despite the auto versus pedestrian accident and a brain bleed, the victim is still alive, though in critical condition, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Izeta, meanwhile, is facing a lengthy prison sentence.

Sometimes, even in this twisted, cold world, there can be justice.

]]>
According to the Sun-Times, Izeta was being followed by a police officer at 7 a.m. when he ran the red light at 35 mph.

You might be wondering, why wasn’t he pulled over sooner?

The answer to that very intelligent question is the Constitution. We don’t want cops pulling over everyone they consider “suspicious.” Otherwise, racial profiling would be even more of a problem than it already is, and our country would devolve into a police state.

In order for a police officer to pull over a suspected drunk driver, he has to have reasonable suspicion that the driver is violating a law. A broken tail light, running a red light, or swerving across three lanes would suffice. Had Izeta not collided with a pedestrian, he almost certainly would have been pulled over anyway and been charged with a DUI. His BAC, after all, was reportedly 0.215.

Instead of a run-of-the-mill DUI, he’s instead charged with a felony DUI resulting in serious injury. He was also cited for striking a pedestrian, running a red light, driving without insurance, and driving without a driver’s license. He has two prior DUI cases from Indiana on his record as well, reports the Sun-Times.

Don’t worry too much about Izeta colliding with you on the street either. Bail been set at $350,000, and — considering that a police officer witnessed the accident — he’s probably guaranteed another conviction.

Related Resources:

• Consult a Chicago DUI Defense Attorney (FindLaw)
• Bond set for man charged with DUI after striking 87-year-old pedestrian (FOX Chicago)
• Reasonable Suspicion (FindLaw’s LawBrain)
• DUI Arrests (FindLaw’s Learn About the Law)