Felony Charges Pressed in Tinley Accident That Claimed Life of 18-Year-Old Girl

A young Alsip woman faces felony charges in connection with Saturday's 183rd Street crash that killed 18-year-old Megan Elam.

charged Sarah Lavko, 21, of the 11500 block of Keeler Avenue in Alsip, with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI, both felonies, as well as transportation of open alcohol, failure to reduce speed, improper lane usage and no proof of insurance, according to a release from the police.

The Cook County state's attorney's office said Lavko’s blood-alcohol level was tested at .197 percent, which is more than twice the legal limit of .08.

Elam, of Alsip, was among four passengers in the car. Police said two of the three other passengers are still in the hospital.

Saturday and left the roadway, rolling several times before coming to rest in Cook County Forest Preserve property on the north side of the road, according to police.

Elam, 18, was thrown from the car and pronounced dead at 12:28 a.m. Sunday at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner. 

The group had attended a Lil Wayne concert at First Midwest Bank Amphitheater.

Elam was a student at Moraine Valley Community College and a graduate of Shepard High School.

The Suburban Major Accident Reconstruction Team and the Tinley Park Police Crash Investigation Unit are investigating the accident, police said.

A neighbor of Elam's in Alsip, George Ferguson, told Sun-Times Media that she was “a fun-loving girl taken way too soon.” Read more about the girl in the story "Alsip Family Mourns Teen in Fatal Tinley Crash".

Lavko's bail was set at $150,000, according to the Chicago Tribune.