DuPage County Jury Finds Samuel Horvath Guilty of Naperville Fatal DUI Crash

Staff Writer August 15, 2020 1.4k Views

On Friday, August 14th, a DuPage County jury, Illinois, found Samuel Horvath, 20, of Naperville guilty of misdemeanor driving with the stimulant methamphetamine. The jury determined that the man had the drug in his system when he caused an accident that led to the death of a Maple Park woman.

Horvath tested positive for the intoxicant several hours after the crash that occurred shortly after 6 p.m. on September 9th, 2017. It happened on 75th Street and Naperville/Plainfield Road in Naperville, DuPage County.

The accident report showed that the defendant drove north on Naperville/Plainfield when he made a left turn on a yellow light. The man’s attorney informed the jury that he saw the victim, Calabria Taber, 21, leave a Shell gasoline station on southbound Rickert Drive, and thought she was riding her motorcycle too slow to make the yellow light.

A defense specialist said that the victim rapidly accelerated 205 feet from the light, causing the collision. Taber suffered two broken legs, arms, vertebrae, a broken pelvis, lacerated liver and kidney, and perforated bowel. She died the day after the collision.

On Wednesday, August 12th, Horvath, who has been out on bail, testified that he took a Concerta pill the morning of the accident to help him concentrate when taking the ACT college entrance exam. He admitted that the drug was not prescribed for him, but it was not enough for the jury to convict him on felony charges.

Upon his sentencing on Monday, October 5th, he could either get one-year probation or jail time for the misdemeanor charges. A family friend of the victim believes the punishment does not befit the crime, noting that the man would be free, with no repercussions for Taber’s death.

Disclaimer: The Accident News article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.

The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Accident News’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.

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