A 21-year-old man who allegedly consumed up to 11 shots of tequila at a Wrigleyville bar before racing through a red light on Addison Street at 76 mph and crashing into an Uber driver’s SUV faces felony charges after prosecutors said he triggered a chain-reaction crash that seriously injured four people, including a childhood friend who suffered extensive injuries.
James Bradley is charged with two counts of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm and two counts of aggravated reckless driving causing bodily harm in connection with the March 1 crash near Western Avenue and Addison Street.
According to prosecutors, Bradley attended a bachelor party at a Wrigleyville bar that began around 11 p.m. on February 28 and included bottle service with two bottles of vodka and two bottles of tequila. Prosecutors said Bradley arrived around 11:15 p.m. and consumed between five and 10 shots of tequila during the event. His friend later purchased an additional bottle of tequila, and Bradley took another shot from that bottle before the gathering ended around 3 a.m., according to the allegations.
After the party, prosecutors said, Bradley offered to drive home a woman he had known since grammar school and another male friend.
Chicago police surveillance cameras allegedly captured Bradley’s 2023 Honda running a red light at Addison Street and the Kennedy Expressway at about 3:20 a.m. Prosecutors said the Honda then ran another red light before reaching Western Avenue, where it entered the intersection against a red signal and slammed into the driver’s side of a 2023 Toyota SUV being operated by an Uber driver.
Data recovered from Bradley’s vehicle showed it was traveling 76 mph in a 30 mph zone and that the brake pedal was not depressed at the time of impact, prosecutors said.
The collision flipped the Uber driver’s SUV and sent Bradley’s Honda into a third vehicle. The crash was recorded by Chicago police surveillance cameras and a red-light camera that activated when Bradley entered the intersection against the signal, according to prosecutors.
Police and firefighters found Bradley in the driver’s seat with cuts to his face and head. A blood sample drawn at approximately 4 a.m., about 40 minutes after the crash, showed Bradley’s blood-alcohol concentration was .143, according to prosecutors. The legal limit in Illinois is .08.
Bradley’s childhood friend suffered the most severe injuries. Prosecutors said the 21-year-old sustained a lacerated liver that required surgery, fractures to both ankles, with one requiring surgical repair, fractures on both sides of her pelvis, and cranial trauma for which she continues to receive treatment.
The other passenger in Bradley’s Honda, a 22-year-old man, suffered a broken upper right arm that required surgery, a broken nose, and fractured ribs.
The 58-year-old Uber driver sustained abdominal injuries, including a lacerated kidney, prosecutors said. His passenger, a 37-year-old man, suffered minor injuries. The 41-year-old woman driving the third vehicle was not injured.
Bradley has no prior criminal record, but prosecutors noted that he has received three speeding citations in DuPage County since 2022, including one issued in January.
During Bradley’s initial court appearance on May 19, defense attorney Stephen Komie said he was surprised prosecutors sought to have Bradley detained pending trial. The lawyer noted that Bradley had cooperated with investigators and voluntarily surrendered to police.
But Judge Antara Rivera granted the state’s detention petition, citing Bradley’s driving history and the circumstances of the crash, saying she felt Bradley “hasn’t learned his lesson.”
“It is a miracle that everybody is alive, and that’s what’s concerning to me,” the judge added.
But, nine days later, Judge Robert Kuzas felt differently and ordered Bradley released from custody to await trial, records show.
This story is based on an official transcript of the court proceeding.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
