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Monday, May 21, 2012

DUI alleged in woman’s  wrong-way Kennedy crash

Updated: March 24, 2012 8:58AM



A Chicago woman has been charged with DUI in a wrong-way crash Wednesday morning on the outbound Kennedy Expressway.

Vanessa M. Castillo, 25, of the 3100 block of West 41st Place, was charged with driving under the influence, driving the wrong way and operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license, the Illinois State Police said.

Police said at 4:20 a.m., Castillo, driving a Chrysler Sebring, got on the expressway at Armitage — driving south in the outbound lanes. Between North and Division, she hit a semi-tractor trailer and clipping a black Mazda before finally crashing head on a black Nissan Maxima, police said.

Two people were hospitalized after the crash, including Castillo, in “very bad shape,” State Trooper Mark Hall said.

Castillo was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, while another driver was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Both were in serious condition.

One of the vehicles clipped by the wrong-way driver had a side-mirror damaged in the crash, but the driver of the vehicle was not injured, Hall said. The driver of the tanker truck was also not injured and his vehicle sustained only minor damage, Hall said.

All northbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway were closed early Wednesday, but a single lane was opened later in the morning.

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