A Mundelein woman said in court Tuesday she considered herself “one of the best drunken drivers” prior to causing a crash in March 2015 that killed her closest friend.
Amanda Auld, 24, also said “no apology will be good enough” to give the family of Steven Daskauskas for her being “very intoxicated” when she crashed a Volkswagen Beetle into the rear of a semi truck at the corner of Harris and Peterson roads in Libertyville.
“I will suffer under the weight of this tremendous guilt for the rest of my life,” she said.
Auld, of the 300 block of Balmoral Drive, was sentenced Tuesday to 7½ years in prison for causing the crash that killed the 22-year-old Daskauskas. She had been facing between 3 and 14 years behind bars after pleading guilty in December to aggravated driving under the influence.
She must serve 85 percent of the sentence before being eligible for parole, said Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Dan Brown.
Authorities said Auld was driving east on Peterson Road March Restbet 7, 2015, when her car slammed into the back of a semi truck waiting to turn left at the intersection with Harris Road. Daskauskas, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
She was not charged until March 2016, in part because of a delay in obtaining witness statements, authorities said.
In court Tuesday, Auld recounted an evening of drinking and driving prior to the crash. She said she had been drinking all day and visited at least two bars in Fox Lake prior to driving with Daskauskas to the Libertyville area. She volunteered to drive despite being intoxicated because she had “always driven drunk and never got in trouble.”
“We were not thinking clearly,” she admitted through tears. “I was selfish. I was immature.”
Daskauskas’ sister, Marissa Daskauskas, said the life of her family changed dramatically after the crash. “The hardest part is seeing my mother die with him that day,” she said, adding that her mom was too heartbroken to attend Tuesday’s sentencing. “He (Steven Daskauskas) was loving, kind and simply had the most beautiful soul.”
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