Chicago-area man gets 18 years for 2021 drunken driving crash that killed 3

WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago man was sentenced to 18 years in prison Monday for a 2021 drunken driving crash that killed three people.

Brendan Wydajewski, 24, of Naperville was sentenced after pleading guilty to three counts of aggravated driving under the influence causing death.

Wydajewski had a blood alcohol level of 0.147 — well above the state’s limit of 0.08 — when his vehicle crashed into another car in Lisle on Oct. 30, 2021, while traveling about 122 mph (196 kph), prosecutors said.

The impact cut in half a car driven by Andrew Purtill, 46, of Aurora, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

One of Wyadjewski’s two passengers, Geovanny Alvarez, 22, of Waukegan, died at the scene and the other passenger, Graciela Leanos, 21, of Shorewood, died later at a hospital.

Wyadjewski’s attorney, Don Ramsell, said “this was a tragedy for everyone involved.”

“It shows that mistakes can have irreversible consequences,” Mr. Ramsell said in a telephone interview.