More than 1,000 people crowded Burns Funeral Home in Crown Point Friday, some spilling outside into the funeral home lobby and outdoor walkways, to pay their final respects to Lake County defense attorney Garry Weiss.

Many mourners couldn't make it into the packed chapel on Broadway, instead having to listen to the service on a public address system in the lobby.

Weiss died Tuesday along with three other people in a three-vehicle crash near the Merrillville/Winfield border.

Many who spoke during the service described Weiss as a family man and role model who had a love for life and a great sense of humor. Weiss' brother, Howard Weiss, said Garry was a "fierce competitor" whether it was in the court room, in sports or anything else in life.

While it was difficult for the many that were mourning Garry Weiss' death on Friday, Rabbi Stanley Halpern, who was officiating the service, urged them to celebrate Weiss' life. He said Weiss would have wanted it that way.

Meanwhile, Lake County court records reflected that the deceased driver who police say caused the pileup -- Mario Cadena, 30 -- was driving on a suspended license at the time and had at least one prior drunken driving conviction. The Tuesday incident that claimed the lives of Weiss, Cadena and region couple Stephen Hough, 26, of Merrillville, and Amy Bartelmey, 25, of Hobart, remained under police investigation Friday.

It had not yet been determined if alcohol played a role in the wreck. Cadena, who lived in Crown Point, was charged in 2001 with misdemeanor operating while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle without ever receiving a license, records show. The OWI was later amended to a count of reckless driving to which Cadena pleaded guilty, court records show.

Lake Superior Court Judge Julie Cantrell sentenced Cadena to a 180-day suspended sentence in that case that was served on probation. He also was required to complete five days of community service.

Cadena was charged again in 2003 with misdemeanor drunken driving, OWI with a blood alcohol content of .15 or more and unsafe lane movement, Lake Criminal Court records show. The OWI and unsafe lane movement charges were dismissed by Lake County prosecutors in return for a guilty plea to operating while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of .15 or more.

Cantrell sentenced Cadena to 365 days in jail in that case but suspended the entire sentence. The legal blood-alcohol content in Indiana is .08.