Hena Patel survived, son Shubham, 7, died.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Hena D. Patel of Galva, Illinois is facing a sentence of up to seven and a half years behind bars for causing the death of her seven-year-old son in a drunken driving accident that occurred in November of 2012.
As part of a deal made with the courts, Patel pleaded guilty to one charge of aggravated DUI [Driving Under the Influence], a Class 2 felony in Illinois, while two other misdemeanor charges were dropped. Had she pleaded not guilty and taken the case to trial, her sentence could have been as high as 14 years behind bars. As it stands now, the plea deal caps the sentencing at just over seven years.
Patel was driving with her son, Shubham Patel, on November 26, 2012, on Illinois Route 78, just west of Toulson. Too drunk to drive properly, the minivan she was operating careened off the road and ran into a culvert, the impact of which ejected Shubham out of the car. Investigators found evidence that the car continued to roll at about 33 miles per hour until it came to a stop in the middle of a field.
Shubham was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries the following morning. Toxicology reports found that Patel had a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level of 0.226, nearly three times higher than the legal limit of 0.08. Additionally, there was an open bottle of whiskey found in the Toyota minivan when it crashed.
Patel’s sentencing date is March 18, and Stark County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Keith has made it clear that it would take extraordinary circumstances for Patel to earn anything less than a three-year sentence. She is currently out on a $50,000 bail.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com