A Merrillville man was charged Thursday for paralyzing a man in a crash last month near the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, according to court records.
Jeffery Baradley, 38, was charged with causing catastrophic injury when operating a motor vehicle with an ACE of .08, and causing catastrophic injury when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, both Level 4 felonies.
He has not been apprehended. He’s ordered held on a $40,000/$4,000 cash surety bond.
Hammond Police responded at 10:13 p.m. April 28 to Indianapolis Boulevard and Casino Center Drive for a three-vehicle crash.
A witness said Baradley’s Chrysler 300 blew a red light, hit a Porsche Cayenne and pushed it into a Cadillac. Officers said Baradley blew a .145 on a breathalyzer. He smelled like booze, had “glossy” eyes and slurred speech. Later toxicology tests found alcohol in his system.
He claimed he was heading to the casino from the highway when another car ran a red light and hit him.
The Porsche’s driver was taken to a Chicago hospital. He is paralyzed from the waist down, according to court records. He said he was leaving the casino and saw Baradley coming but couldn’t react in time.
Baradley was driving 60 miles per hour, according to airbag data sensor crash data.
mcolias@post-trib.com
