I sincerely hope the great State of illinois puts this being behind bars for life for taking an innocent life.

Thank you Patch for keeping us updated on this news update, my parents went to the funeral today, it was sad.

So sad! One poor decision and you take someone's life, ruin your life, ruin the lives of the victim's family members and children, and ruin your family members' lives. This could have been prevented easily. DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE. PERIOD.

Please don't drink and drive!

Did he have a drivers license? News says 48% of the people involved in fatal accidents don't have one. I feel so sorry for the famly!

Can you say..Burn alive, public hanging, a push off a cliff or just a single bullet to the head?
Bring back medival times!!

I'd like everyone to know that this is a great person who made a bad decision. It is far easier to vilify him for that decision when you do not know the man, son, brother, and friend he is. Please pray for the victim, her family, Kevin and his family.

Kevin is a wonderful guy and friend that made a very bad choice. I am so upset and sad and pray for the familys of both. This is horrible. And I can't even describe in words how I feel. :(

People who are great people still make mistakes. He made a poor choice, yes, but he wasn't a bad guy. It is a lack of judgement that will alter everyone's life.

Terri That is VERY VERY true. Thanks!

Great people make mistakes- no one is perfect and if you're human you know that. If you think that great people don't risk the lives of other people then don't ever get behind the wheel of a car- the risk can start there no matter what condition anyone is in. Kevin is a good person and comes from a very well respected family. It is always sad when someone loses their life, but if fault and circumstances were different in this situation people would likely say the woman in the other car was a good person, too, and extend their support for her. Truth is it could have been anyone's mistake that day, at that moment- so to wish bad things on Kevin is horrible when you don't know who he is. A lot of things that happen can be avoided, but that's why they are called accidents. Yes, people can get hurt because of them, but there is only one person who will truly judge our actions, hell, that's why we pray. Nothing can take away the pain and anger, but pray for everyone involved- that they find peace and forgiveness.

Drunk driving is far from an "accident". He did not accidentally go get drunk and accidentally fall into his car. Those were conscious decisions. Decisions I hope he will pay for to the fullest extent of the law.

Thoughts and prayers with all the families involved in this tragic situation...my heart aches for all those involved.

He is a very good person who made a choice one he has to live with

I know the woman personally who lost her life in this accident. She was a wonderful person and the bread-earner for her children. Kevin has destroyed three lives, and affected all of us who knew her well. Please do not justify his actions!

Yes, this was one bad decision--in a string of many other bad choices this man has made. I am saddened--but not shocked--at the news--and it's a shame an innocent life was taken. It needs to be known that this was an every weekend thing not just one time. This individual is a ticking time bomb and needs to be punished to the fullest.
Kevin may regret what he has done, but only because its inconvenient for him. He is not capable of claiming responsibility for his actions or feeling remorseful. That is far from a great person. Only a selfish and reckless person chooses to put innocent people at risk and doesn't look back at the damage he's caused. My hope is he rots in jail for what he did. This is a person that's not contributing to society in a positive way.

Joe~ WOW!!!! Since when did you become God or the "perfect person??" Or any of you for that matter?? Have you ever texted while you were driving or even had one drink and then drove?? We are all guilty of making mistakes. I don't think it's right to go and put someone's business out there like that, but that says a lot for your character. Kick a man while he is down...thank God I don't know you. I feel for those children who lost their mother and for the rest of the family. I am sure Kevin or anyone is this situation would be devastated by the choice they made. He is still a human being. With that being said, maybe we should be harsh on all the others who purposely kill others and get away with it. Let's all talk about how great the football player was, who killed an innocent woman last weekend. Let's let the judge decide Kevin's fate and pray for all those who have been effected by this tragedy. Remember, Kevin is still someone's son, brother, uncle, and friend. My prayers are with the women who lost her life and her children. I will keep praying for Kevin and his family as well.

Last time i checked a judge and/or jury will decide what happens here. Not 1/2 you idiots and your comments. At the end of the day a person lost their life and a person destroyed theirs. To continue to point out who you assume this person was is an ignorant opinion that is not needed and brings no value to this situation. How about you use your energy to say a prayer for the family/friends who lost a loved one. Seems to be the most positive way you can contribute to society!

Joe - from what I understand, one of the poor choices he made was his crazy ex girlfriend. Two families are suffering here and you have nothing better to do with your time than trash Kevin. You seem to be the one here (along with a few others) that aren't contributing to society in a positive way.

Well put andrea and marcy. Again prayer are with BOTH families. This is tragic for everyone involved. No one is justifying what he did at all. I can only imagine how kevin feels right now and he has to live with this and take the consequences of a stupid decision. We all need to take a look in the mirror sometimes. No one is perfect and its a shame this happened. My heart is w the victims family and kevins family.

I think its really sad that some of you are quick to judge that it was the "crazy ex" who had some negative things to say. Believe it or not, she was not the only one who thought poorly of Kevin and everyone should always remember that there are three sides to every story. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but as someone who knows her personally, she is very saddened by what happened regardless of what happened in the past. Please don't use this as a forum to create drama. The entire tragedy is very unfortunate.

As I stated before...i do know her and I also know that she did NOT leave that comment. I'm not going to continue to grace you with this argument since you clearly need to believe that nobody else on this earth could possibly have negative opinions of someone like Kevin. Like I said previously...the incident was tragic
for ALL parties involved. Please save the drama for people who actually care to hear about it.

Damn Joe... If I was standing next to you right now I would seriously slap you up side your damn head. Who are you to say Kevin isn't reflecting on what happened? I've known Kevin since we were 5 and I know nobody feels worse than him over this tragedy and that's not because he's scared of what's to come for him. He's not a cold blooded killer like your making him out to be. Shut you mouth unless you have useful facts that can come out of it. Maybe then you'll sound like you have some common sense!!

Ray, agree with you. Im sure Kevin didnt plan on killing someone. He f**cked up, he drank to much and drove a car. It really sucks what happened, but I and many other people have drove after drinkng, and we just got lucky not to hurt anyone.
Everyone has lost in this sad situation.

Life is lost and a life is destroyed, lesson to learn from this is Not Drink And Drive, it really doesn't matter how great a person was or how cool of a friend he or she may have been. Your status changes to LOSER when you get in the car and drive under the influence. The person was (1) charged with driving under the influence, (2) aggravated DUI, (3) failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, (4) driving without insurance and (5) disobeying a traffic control device, with these charges on a roster the judge will throw the book at him, DUI in Illinois is not a joke. And only god knows if he had any priors than it's all over. Lets really learn from this and while celebrating TGIF at a local bar lets all be safe , get a designated driver. Much respect to both families. Above all I would like to commend Tinley Park Police Dept for an excellent investigation.

Was the woman also dui?

@Rob : No she wasn't .

Was just wondering b/c it was 2am on a sat night and in all reality majority of drivers at that time are dui

Before we pass judgement on what happened, I would like to hear more details. I read that the woman was enjoying an evening out with friends and it was 2am when she was driving. Do we know for sure she wasn't driving under the influence? How are we certain? How do we know for sure that the accident wasn't partialy her fault? No disrespect to anyone, I would just like to hear more details.

@Maqbool- Very well said. I agree 100%. I lost a dear friend in a drunk driving accident in August and it's very hard to put into words how I am feeling without all the anger. I appreciate someone with a similar point of view explaining it in an intelligent manor.

Ive known kev since i was 15. He is a good person. This wasnt an accident, he made a terrible decision that 98% of people all make at one time or another. Should he be punished? Yes and he will be so lets all stop acting high and mighty like u never did anything wrong. Yes this is more tragic because of the death of a poor woman and her poor family. Our hearts and prayers go out them.the truth is that soooo many of us drive when we shouldnt and this is what can happen. Kevin was is and always will be a good guy bad decisions mixed with issues of substance problem doesnt change who u are.

A big problem with these crashes in the suburbs are due to lack of transportation. You can tell someone to call a cab which is fine but no one wants to leave their car somewhere overnight and have to pay a cab a second time the next day to pick it up.
It's up the individual to NOT drink if they are getting behind the wheel. What happened to having a DD while out?
The problem is the drunk is usually the one that's unharmed in these crashes. Why is thinking before doing something a hard task?

Kevin is an amazing person. As a kid Kevin was my hitting coach, my brothers hitting coach, and a good family friend. I watched Kevin playing ball and we looked up to him as a role model. He taught us some life lessons, never to be forgotten. I do not condone his actions nor do I say the choices he recently made were good, but we are all humans. We make mistakes and must suffer the consequences. I pray, feel sorry, and am saddend for both families. But for all of you people on here who think social media is a good way to slander people for their wrong doings, you should watch what you write, because you too will face judgement for your actions one day. You are humans, not gods. If it were your family member or friend would you say the same thing?

Has it been confirmed that the woman wasn't driving under the influence and the accident wasn't her fault what so ever?? Just b/c The guy was dui and survived doesn't necesarly mean he was the one at fault of the accident.

I am a friend of the Firdaasi, and I understand that from what i hear he was a good guy. But he did not stop after he hit her and went home and he was still way over the limit at 9 in morning when he was arrested.

Sad story! Good guy, bad guy, or indifferent, he's getting at least 3 years for this. My prayers are with the family of the innocent victim that was killed. I do believe it was an accident with no ill will intended, but I'll let the person still alive pray for themself in this.

Wow all the negative comments... only god can judge that man.. accidents do happen and bad decisions do get made in our lives some we can overcome and some we cant.. hope all goes well for dat young man and the victims family.. wonder if they did a autopsy on her and why was she out so late.. n kelso how do u kno he was at home.. everyone wit the b.s. comments put your feet in kevins and his family shoes if it was to happen to u.. most the negative comments probally from some tinley park stuck up snobs that need get a life that think there just so perfect n rosey makes me sick..

It's not an accident, it's a crash. There is a difference. As of 4:00 this evening 916 lives were lost due to traffic deaths.

Unbelievable...Shame on all of you that bashed Kevin on here. Have some respect for his family, they didn't ask for this to happen. Does it make you feel better about yourself? Can it change what happened? This is exactly what is wrong with this world. Didn't your elders teach you, if you don't have nothing nice to say then don't say nothing at all? Grow up people. If you don't know all the details of what happen, then don't assume. There is too much sadness and negativity in this world as it is. Your bashing is needless. Do something positive with this site and your lives. Take from this what is needed, as in, be responsible and don't drink and drive. It's not worth it. Everyone loses. Much love and prayers for both families.

Shame on all of you for bashing Kevin??? He's still here on earth, and his family still has a future together! He won't get a life sentence out of this. He'll probably get 3-7 yrs on this, do his time, and continue on with his life. Yes, he will carry this with him forever and his life is probably forever changed as a result of that. The victim of this terrible tragedy is gone FOREVER! Her family no longer has a future together with her. So, if people have harsh feelings towards Santiago, I feel it's rightfully so! He killed a woman and took her from her family forever! Good guy or not, he did that and it can never be reversed. I pray for all involved, but see it for what it is instead of trying justify this as an "accident"!! Nothing about what happened was an accident!!

Anyone who drinks and gets behind a wheel of an automobile needs to understand that they are not only risking their own lives, they risk every other human being on the road. This wasn't a mistake, it wasn't an 'oops' it was a person who chose to risk his life and others. It's a choice. Period.
If you're going to drink, do not drive. It's just that simple.