A 61-year-old man has been charged with reckless homicide in the death of an Illinois State Police (ISP) trooper last month. The 34-year-old trooper had been on his way home late in the afternoon on Jan. 12 when he stopped to assist victims of a crash on Interstate 294 in Northbrook.

The trooper was outside his vehicle, which he had parked in the left lane, when a passing driver struck him. A nurse who was at the crash scene administered CPR before the trooper was taken to the hospital. He died there that evening. The ISP trooper, who was an Army veteran, is survived by his wife and a baby daughter.

The driver stopped after he hit the trooper and cooperated with law enforcement officers on the scene. At the time, authorities speculated that the snowy weather was to blame for both the original multivehicle crash and the fatal crash involving the trooper.

However, the driver who struck the trooper was later arrested in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and brought back to Cook County. Authorities say that a drug test showed cannabis in the man’s system and that he admitted to having been vaping. This isn’t his first arrest for impaired driving. Five years ago, he was convicted in Wisconsin of DUI and felony reckless driving.

Impaired driving can slow a person’s reflexes so that they aren’t able to respond as quickly as they need to when they encounter unexpected situations, like an accident, on the road. Alcohol and drugs also make driving in potentially dangerous weather conditions like snow, ice and rain even more dangerous. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries at the hands of an impaired driver, regardless of what criminal charges or traffic citations they may (or may not) be facing, find out what your options are for seeking compensation in civil court.