SUV Flips Into 2 Garages; Man Dies

Updated 4:15 PM CST, Sun, Nov 8, 2009

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An Oak Lawn man was killed and three others seriously injured Saturday when their vehicle crashed into a garage in southwest suburban Chicago Ridge.

Around 11 p.m., an SUV traveling south on Oak Park Avenue near 98th Street somehow lost control and crashed into a detached garage in the 6800 block of West 98th Street, according to Chicago Ridge Police Chief Tim Baldermann.

Images from the scene appeared to show that the SUV actually hit one home's garage, then flipped into a second garage attached to a home.

An occupant of the vehicle, 23-year-old Christopher Domagala, was killed in the crash, Baldermann said. Domagala, of the 9600 block of S. Cook Avenue, was pronounced dead at the scene at 3 a.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Three others in the vehicle, including the driver, suffered very serious injuries in the crash, including internal bleeding, spinal and "severe" appendage injuries, Baldermann said. All of the injured were men in their early 20's. Two were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and one was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Baldermann said.

The garage was substantially damaged from the crash, but no one was injured in the garage.

Police believe speed played a role in the crash, and are investigating whether alcohol was involved as well.

Baldermann said investigators are still working to piece together how the crash occurred, and said the occupants of the vehicle were too seriously injured to speak with police as of Sunday morning.

Copyright SunTimes / NBC Chicago

First Published: Nov 8, 2009 3:57 PM CST

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0 Comments

{"totSize":17,"payload_type":"json","status":"1","results":[{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"388834_69524667","adminTags":null,"views":875,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"SUV Flips Into 2 Garages; Man Dies","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2695009,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"9 Nov 2009 15:56:52 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1213712","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"HAMMER907 Im sorry but you need to get your facts straight. The person who was killed, god rest his soul, was not the driver of the car. He was merely a passenger. Yes, they should of never gotten into the car in the first place if they were drinking and I agree with that. But just because someone died you automatically assume that he was the driver and thats not right. Im sorry that you had recieved a ticket for your air freshener but there are more important things in life then a ticket. For Example, someones life. The police are doing a great job trying to keep people off the road if they had a few drinks but they can not catch everyone. Illinois is making laws tighter for drinking and driving, like if you get arrested for a DUI you have to take a breathalizer everytime you get into the car. O and another thing who said that they were even drinking??? Yes it is a big possibility that they could of been but who are you to assume that they were and this was the cause of the crash. I mean if you are a detective then by all means assume all you want. Bottom line dont assume anything unless you know the facts!!!!!"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"388834_69524667","adminTags":null,"views":875,"createdBy":15777511,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"SUV Flips Into 2 Garages; Man Dies","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2695009,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"9 Nov 2009 16:08:23 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"ryanizme2179","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1213798","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"I am sorry but even though the situation could of been prevented and it is a case of lack of judgement to the extreme, it is sad that someone lost their life due to neglegence and lack of common sense. Even though alocohol was involved apperently, the Oak Lawn/Chicago Ridge police department is not to blame in this situation. I personally knew the victims involved and even though I don't agree with their decisions that night, I also feel a sense of deep anguish for their families and pray they get better eventually. HAMMER907 should stop worrying about his ticket for his air freshener and actually have some sympathy for the victims considering the situation at hand. The driver is looking at aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide let alone the fact he lost his arm, give him a break instead of voicing your own gripes with the local law enforcement. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of who was involved and I hope that this is a lesson learned for all of us."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"388834_69524667","adminTags":null,"views":875,"createdBy":15782944,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"SUV Flips Into 2 Garages; Man Dies","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2695009,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"9 Nov 2009 18:44:56 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"fb_1721527974","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1215028","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"being a family member of one of those involved in the crash, we are still peicing together what happened that night. my brother is paralized because of this. so before anyone assumes anything please let the police do there job, and if anyone does have any good info please call chicago ridge police."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"388834_69524667","adminTags":null,"views":875,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"SUV Flips Into 2 Garages; Man Dies","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2695009,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"9 Nov 2009 20:31:18 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1215920","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"I am a family member of the man that died. All I ask is that you think twice before you post something horrid, uneducated, and opinated about this accident. I, along with many others, am devestated at the result of what happened Saturday night and the last thing we need is to read inaccurate, harsh comments about their loved ones. There are families in mourning right now, so please be considerate of other peoples' feelings. Thank you."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"388834_69524667","adminTags":null,"views":875,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"SUV Flips Into 2 Garages; Man Dies","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2695009,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"9 Nov 2009 20:50:54 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1216071","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"I'm feeling so many different things right now. I'm mad because how did we come to a place where someone dies and others are severely injured, and peoples moods reflect such self centered-ness. Have some compassion for fellow people, because no one can say they have made the right choice every single time they have had a decision to make. I don't know if I personally know the others that were injured but I did know the one who died, so I'm also really sad. Death puts me in a place of disbelief and denial, and so when I came on here to force myself to realize that this actually happened, I am not only sad because of this horrible accident, but now after looking at the fact that 6% of people who had read this are "laughing" I'm ashamed of the kind of people who exist these days... Let the families affected mourn and keep all negative comments about the victims to yourself. As for my final opinion, sure the decision that was made wasn't a good one and I don't agree with it, but it doesn't the fact that a life was lost, and the others now have to live with this for the rest of their lives and that alone is a tragic situation. My prayers are with the families, especially the victims."}],"error":"","totPages":4}