A Chicago man who died in the custody of the Cook County sheriff’s office was found to have massive head injuries and a blood alcohol content at more than four times the legal limit, a spokeswoman said Thursday.
Francisco Marchan, 52, was arrested Monday after being involved in a car crash, according to Cara Smith, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.
Marchan was driving west when he hit another vehicle driving south at the intersection of West Le Moyne Street and North Pulaski Road in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, Smith said.
When officers arrived at the scene of the accident, they reported that Marchan was on the sidewalk next to his vehicle. He smelled strongly of alcohol and slurred his speech, officers reported. They found an open can of Busch beer in the center console of Marchan’s vehicle, as well as four unopened cans of Busch on the passenger-side floor.
Marchan was taken into custody. He was under a standing warrant for a prior DUI charge at the time of Monday’s accident, Smith said.
Marchan’s blood-alcohol level was tested 1 ½ hours after the accident and registered above .36, more than 4 ½ times Illinois’ legal limit of .08.
Once in custody, Marchan was taken to Cermak Hospital after displaying signs of a head injury. He was later taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead Wednesday.
The sheriff’s office believe he suffered a massive head injury from the accident that likely caused Marchan’s death, Smith said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office conducted an autopsy on Marchan’s body Thursday, but the results from that examination are still pending.