A drunk driver who drove the wrong way on Lake Shore Drive and slammed into a CTA bus, killing his passenger on her 37th birthday, has been sentenced to four years in prison — though he is expected to be released in November after receiving credit for observing a nighttime curfew while on house arrest.
Dontrell Biggs, 32, pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI causing a fatal accident in exchange for the sentence from Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas, according to court records.
Prosecutors alleged his blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit when he got behind the wheel of his SUV in the early morning hours of July 9, 2023.
City surveillance footage allegedly showed Biggs making a U-turn on Lake Shore Drive and heading south in the northbound lanes around 6 a.m. A passing motorist called 911 to report a wrong-way driver, then called again after Biggs’ SUV slammed into a CTA bus near 45th Street, prosecutors said.
Charice Rush, who had been out celebrating her 37th birthday, was a passenger in Biggs’ SUV. She was ejected from the front passenger seat and killed. A 32-year-old woman riding in his back seat suffered a broken hip and required surgery. The Chicago Fire Department said 16 people in total were taken to hospitals from the crash scene, though none of the bus passengers suffered serious injuries.
About 20 minutes after the crash, Biggs’ blood alcohol level was measured at .1525, prosecutors said at an initial court hearing, well above the legal limit of .08.
By law, Biggs must serve 85% of his four-year sentence. But court records show he accumulated 955 days of credit toward his prison term while awaiting trial, the bulk of it by observing a nighttime curfew at home rather than sitting in a jail cell. That leaves him with a remaining balance of roughly 286 days behind bars. His parole date is set for November 17.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
