Updated 10/19/10
The Oak Park driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident in May 2008 that killed a Forest Park woman, who was reportedly lying drunk in an alley at the time, has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Kevin Olis, a 41-year-old Oak Park resident, was found guilty of two counts of aggravated DUI and leaving the scene of a fatal accident, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
On the night of the accident, Lydia Salmanis, 50, allegedly passed out in an alley behind 7301 Roosevelt Road after leaving a bar. She was run over by Olis’ van shortly after midnight on May 24, according to 2008 coverage in the Forest Park Review.
Eighteen days prior, Olis had pleaded guilty to another hit-and-run in which he struck a parked car and fled. Olis does not have any other criminal record.
Olis’ blood-alcohol content was measured at .089 the night of the crime. Salmanis’ blood alcohol level was .386. A motorist is considered intoxicated when their BAC measures .08, according to state law.
Just before her death, Salmanis stopped by the Hideaway, a bar located near the scene of the accident, alone around 11 p.m. She asked for a glass of wine, but the bartender refused to serve her, the manager told the Review at the time. Another employee called a cab for Salmanis, but she refused. The manager said he later saw her walking the opposite direction from her home.
Salmanis, who had been a Forest Park resident for at least 20 years, died less than a half-mile from her home on the 1300 block of Elgin Avenue, the Review said.
Dave Petty, the boyfriend of Salmanis at the time, told the Review “she was a really good person.”
“She loved gardening,” he said. “She was a frequent traveler and had visited Mexico and various countries in Europe.”
-Katie Drews
