A DeMotte man is facing charges after a three-vehicle crash on U.S. 30 in Dyer last year that sent a woman to the hospital and shut down the road for hours. A blood test found alcohol and THC in his system.
Jeffrey Renkowiecki, 30, was charged Wednesday with causing serious bodily injury when operating a motor vehicle with an ACE of .08% or higher, and causing serious bodily injury when operating a vehicle with a schedule I or II substance, both Level 5 felonies. He is also charged with a class A misdemeanor — operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person.
He has not been apprehended and is ordered held on a $40,000, or $4,000 cash surety bond.
Police responded at 5:31 a.m. April 25, 2023 to the 900 block of Joliet Street (U.S. 30) near the McDonald’s and Taco Bell.
Investigators noted the road was wet and it had been raining on-and-off through the night. Debris was scattered across both lanes of U.S. 30.
Renkowiecki was hurt, lying down in a grassy area outside a Chevrolet Traverse. He tried to stand when an officer walked to him and his arm appeared broken, according to the affidavit.
He said he was trying to “pull over,” possibly to meet a coworker, who was parked in the McDonald’s parking lot. She said she heard, but didn’t see the crash.
A security video from McDonald’s showed Renkowiecki gunning east on U.S. 30. A woman driving a Chevrolet Impala was in the straight lane and a Ford F-150 was in the lane right of her. The light turned green and they started driving.
Renkowiecki appeared to rear-end the Impala, pushing it into the F-150. His Traverse hit the median, went across westbound lanes, before hitting the curb and coming to a stop near the Taco Bell’s flower bed.
One witness said Renkowiecki was “flying” just before the impact.
The airbag data sensors showed Renkowiecki was driving 99 mph, while the Impala was going 12 mph.
The Impala’s driver spent four days in the hospital — with fractured ribs, a fractured spine, a concussion, a bleeding spleen, a broken collar bone and a shattered pelvis.
A relative later told police the woman didn’t remember anything from the five-day period surrounding the crash.
The F-150’s driver was later checked out at a hospital. He later said he was OK, but had some back pain.
At a hospital, cops got a warrant after Renkowiecki twice refused to get his blood drawn. The alcohol toxicology results came back around Aug. 29 and drug results came back Jan. 2.
Investigators noted in the warrant that Renkowiecki appeared to smell like alcohol, slurred his words and couldn’t keep a steady balance.
