Wilmington man sentenced to 9 years in prison for fatal DUI crash

A man was sentenced to nine years in prison after he pleaded guilty to driving while drunk on Interstate 55 in Wilmington Township and causing a crash that killed another man.

Erik Christensen, 51, of Wilmington, was sentenced to prison Wednesday by Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak, according to a statement from Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow’s office.

Christensen pleaded guilty to aggravated driving under the influence and aggravated driving on a revoked license Nov. 22, 2020.

On that day, Christensen drank at Snookers Sports Bar and Grill in Wilmington and then traveled on I-55, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

At one point, Christensen ended up driving the wrong way on I-55 and collided head-on with a vehicle driven by Nicholas Ercolini, 33, of Blackstone, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

Ercolini died after the crash.

Christensen has a conviction for a DUI offense in 2013 in DuPage County. He also was found guilty of operating a vehicle while intoxicated in a 2001 case in Racine County, Wisconsin.

“A 33-year-old’s life was extinguished because [Christensen], a repeat offender, made the selfish decision to once again drive while intoxicated,” Glasgow said in a statement.