Drunken driver crashes near Riverside high school: police

A driver who crashed their vehicle Sunday near Riverside Brookfield High School in the western suburbs was charged with DUI.

Officers responded to a crash about 2:40 a.m. near First Avenue and Ridgewood Road and found a damaged Cadillac near a Verizon communications building, Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said in a statement.

Mariela Sosa, 25, of Lyons, had driven up the curb and spun the car into a grassy area, Weitzel said. She was visibly injured but resisted aid from an officer, Weitzel said. Sosa’s 29-year-old female passenger refused medical attention.

Paramedics took Sosa to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where she was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, Weitzel said.

Sosa and her passenger appeared highly intoxicated at the time, according to Weitzel, who said there were open beer cans in the car. Sosa refused to take a breathalyzer or urine test, Weitzel said.

Sosa was charged with drunk driving, improper operation of a motor vehicle, driving on a sidewalk and transporting open alcohol, Weitzel said.