The limo driver who ferried two dozen Chicago teenagers to the prom was charged with a DUI, but he blames mechanical problems on his erratic driving.
Limo driver Richard L. Madison told the Chicago Sun-Times: “I’m not guilty, but it is what it is.”
“The bus needs wheel alignment and that’s why it was moving the way it did,” he said.
Madison was charged with one count of reckless conduct and two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol, reported NBC Chicago. Sources told the station that he registered a 0.239 blood alcohol level.
He was driving 23 Oswego East High School to the prom in Glen Ellyn when the students said that he was acting erratically.
Two off-duty police officers who were assigned to security at the prom were notified, leading to Madison’s arrest.
“I was worried, but then again we were blaring music and trying to have fun, so we didn’t put two and two together until we got there and were like this isn’t right ... something is wrong,” student Kelsey Dano told the station.
She says Madison backed into a ditch and slammed his foot on the brakes several times.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
