A 38-year-old Blue Island man is charged in Robbins with aggravated drunken driving causing death and leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.
David Avalos was ordered held in the Cook County Jail Jan. 22 following his initial court appearance at Markham courthouse.
Robbins police requested the sheriff’s police to look into a crash that occurred at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 9 near the intersection of 139th Street and Kedzie Avenue.
Sammy Simmons, a 63-year-old, was crossing the street in a mobility scooter when he was hit in the crosswalk. Simmons was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, according to a Cook County sheriff statement Jan. 23.
Simmons would regularly be in the street on Kedzie Avenue near 139th Street asking drivers for money, prosecutors said.
Cook County detectives said Avalos struck Simmons while driving through the intersection, causing Simmons to propel into the air and land a distance away. Simmons died from his injuries, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said a witness heard the impact and saw a Dodge minivan driving away, and detectives said debris from the minivan was left on the scene.
Detectives found a minivan with heavy front-end damage near the site, which they said Avalos was standing next to when officers arrived. The minivan was registered to his wife, prosecutors said.
Avalos was placed in custody, and detectives said he admitted to drinking five to six beers. He was taken to the hospital, where tests showed he had a high blood-alcohol content level, prosecutors said.
Detectives also said Avalos did not have a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash.
awright@chicagotribune.com