Intoxicated Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Breaks Fire Hydrant on Southwest Side

By Amy Perry in News on Feb 10, 2010 10:40PM

A Chicago Fire Department lieutenant was arrested yesterday and charged with a DUI after allegedly driving a 2008 Dodge Ram pickup truck onto someone’s lawn and breaking off a fire hydrant before hitting a tree, driving over a stop sign and leaving the scene.

According to the Sun-Times, Gary Podlasek, 53, was identified sitting in traffic, when he returned to the scene of the crime to possibly pick up his bumper with his license plate attached that fell off in the incident on the front lawn of 4235 W. 67th St. A witness also saw Podlasek recklessly driving onto the lawn and identified him to police. Podlasek complained of chest pain and was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn but no other injuries were reported. Besides losing a bumper, we wonder how much more damage there was to the Dodge Ram pickup truck to be able to completely break off a fire hydrant.