A Monee, Illinois, man will spend 9 years in prison as punishment for his role in an accident that severely injured two children in 2008.

22-year-old Craig Smart was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated DUI. The accident occurred on July 19, 2008, when Smart was driving his pickup truck on U.S. 45. He crashed into the O'Hare family traveling home to Champaign, Illinois. The force of the accident was severe enough to cause the van to overturn. 

The injuries to two children in the van, 11 and 14 at the time, were far more severe than injuries to the adult passengers. The 11-year-old child suffered severe head injuries. He underwent many surgeries, ultimately leading to the eye's removal. The 14-year-old child also suffered severe and permanent injuries to her foot.

After the crash, police found Smart's BAC to be .1%; tests revealed he also had marijuana and prescription drugs in his system at the time of the accident. This evidence, coupled with the severity and permanence of the injuries caused to the young passengers, lead to the lengthy sentence for the young driver.