A 22-year-old Springfield, Illinois man has been charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving after a crash that killed a 21-year-old passenger, the State Journal-Register reported on Monday.
Ethan C. Harbour ran a red light at a high rate of speed near the intersection of North 11th and East Madison streets in Springfield in the early hours of Oct. 11, according to a police report obtained by the newspaper that cites witnesses. Harbour was driving a 1999 Chevrolet Suburban carrying Sean Clark, 21, of Athens, Illinois, and another passenger when it collided with a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport that had one person inside.
Clark, who was riding as a passenger in Harbour’s vehicle, died at the scene. Everyone else involved was taken to a hospital, with at least two people suffering life-threatening injuries.
Harbour told police that a friend in the back seat had grabbed the steering wheel as a joke, causing him to lose control, and that everything went black afterward, according to the police report. A nurse at the hospital told police that Harbour’s blood alcohol concentration was .215, nearly three times the legal limit. Harbour told officers that he and his friends had been out drinking and having a good time, but he could not remember where they were coming from before the crash.
Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said an autopsy performed on Oct. 12 showed that Clark died from multiple blunt force injuries. Harbour is also charged with disregarding a traffic light, and his first court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 5. The State Journal-Register said it had asked police for updates on the investigation but had not received an immediate response.
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