Charges filed in fatal Barrington Hills crash
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com
BARRINGTON HILLS – A Chicago man was allegedly under the influence of drugs the day he was involved in a fatal accident, police said today.
Richard W. Johnson of Sycamore was killed in a three-vehicle accident May 12, after the pickup truck he was driving collided with two fully loaded gravel trucks, police said. Johnson was 58.
Daniel J. Drugon of Chicago was driving one of the gravel trucks collided with Johnson's. Drugon, 40, was charged today with driving under the influence of drugs, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, following too close, not wearing a seat belt, operating a commercial motor vehicle while his commercial driver's license is subject to disqualification, driving with inadequate brakes, having an improper suspension system, and failure to comply with motor carrier safety regulations.
Drugon's 1999 Mack gravel truck and a third gravel truck were driving west on Route 68 at Bateman Road at the time of the accident, police said.
Drugon's truck landed on top of Johnson’s tire-delivery truck. Police said a 1999 Freightliner gravel truck driven by Ernesto Flores-Vergara, 45, of Walworth, Wis., also lost its load in the accident.
The accident was investigated by Barrington Hills Police, Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team and the Cook County State's Attorney.
