Man charged with DUI in 90 mph Riverside rollover crash

A La Grange man has been charged with driving drunk and causing a high-speed crash that injured another driver in west suburban Riverside.

Nikola Cevizovik, 24, faces two misdemeanor counts of DUI and numerous traffic violations following the May 17 crash, Riverside police announced on Friday.

About 10:30 p.m., Cevizovik was at the wheel of a Kia speeding 90 mph south on First Avenue when he blew through the red lights at 31st and Ridgewood before crashing into an SUV that was backing out of a driveway in the 3500 block of South First, police said.

The crash sent the SUV into a tailspin and caused it to flip onto its side. The 66-year-old Riverside woman driving the SUV had to be extricated from her vehicle, and was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, police said. She was treated for head and leg injuries, and released.

Cevizovik was ejected from the car. When emergency crews arrived, he was “screaming profanities at the officers and extremely belligerent with the paramedics as well,” a statement from police said.

An officer had to accompany the combative Cevizovik in an ambulance, and he “displayed obvious signs of intoxication,” police said. He refused to submit to a breath, blood or urine test, police said.

He was also taken to Loyola and underwent surgery for serious shoulder injuries, knee injuries, facial injuries and fractures, police said.

Cevizovik was on parole for a 2014 felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance, and he has been arrested 19 times, with prior convictions for burglary and driving on a suspended license. At the time of the crash, his driver’s license was valid.

“Cevizovic was traveling at an extremely high rate of speed and caused a collision that could have been deadly if not for the seatbelt use by the victim,” Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said in a statement. “The fact that he was driving drunk 8 days after being paroled from custody for a drug charge is a clear sign that his substance abuse is a danger to the public sharing our roadways.”