By Joe Gerrety
and Sophia Voravong

The man accused of causing a Chicago-area car crash Sunday that killed two West Lafayette children had a blood-alcohol content three times the legal limit, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's office.

Ralph Pollock, 46, of Schaumburg, Ill., faces preliminary charges of reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman with the state's attorney's office, said. A judge in Maywood, Ill., set Pollock's bond Tuesday morning at $1 million.

Formal charges are expected to be filed at a preliminary hearing Aug. 10.

Police in Franklin Park, Ill., said Pollock was driving a full-size pickup truck when he ran a red light about 6:36 p.m. Sunday near O'Hare International Airport, striking a minivan carrying Greg and Sherry Hockerman of West Lafayette and their three children.

The minivan burst into flames. Claire Hockerman, 14, and her brother, Nathan, 5, were killed.

Their brother, Paul, 11, and his parents all suffered burns. The family was returning home from a vacation in Switzerland.

"They are working on feeling better. That's the main focus right now," Guy Hockerman, the children's uncle, said via cell phone on Tuesday from Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., where Greg, Sherry and Paul are being treated. It's unknown when they will be released.

"We're dealing with things one at a time. That's all we can do," he said. "Their (physical) conditions incredibly have changed from what it was before. They're making progress."

Guy Hockerman declined to comment on the preliminary charges against Pollock, who had a previous misdemeanor conviction for drunken driving in 1998, Simonton said Cook County court records show.

Instead, the family is focusing on recovery, Hockerman said. Several family members and friends from the Lafayette area also are in Chicago, providing a strong support network.

"Greg and Sherry both are aware that there's a larger community ... who've expressed their love and concern and they're appreciative of that," Hockerman said.

West Lafayette's Maple Ridge Community Church, where the Hockermans attend, held a prayer service Monday night for the family. Friend Cyndi Renicker, administrative assistant at the church, said parishioners will continue to offer their prayers as the family mends physically and emotionally.