70-year-old man charged with DUI after fatal Skyway crash

A 70-year-old man has been charged with DUI after driving the wrong way on the Chicago Skyway on Saturday night and crashing head-on into another vehicle, killing the other driver.

About 9:40 p.m., a Jeep Patriot was traveling outbound in the inbound lanes of the Skyway near 92nd Street when the SUV struck a Dodge Grand Caravan head-on, according to Chicago Police.

The driver of the Dodge, 55-year-old Mark A. Jacobs, was taken to Trinity Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11 p.m., police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy determined Jacobs, who lived in the 1600 block of Parkview Avenue in Whiting, Indiana, died of multiple injuries suffered in the crash and his death was ruled an accident.

The driver of the Jeep, 70-year-old Charlie Gates, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he remains in critical condition, police said.

Gates, of the 3500 block of South Lake Park Avenue, was charged with one misdemeanor count of DUI and cited for driving the wrong way on a divided highway, police said. He is scheduled to appear in traffic court Jan. 5.

The police Major Accidents Investigation Unit is continuing their investigation.