Eldor Akilov
“I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life,” said Brandon Gladney describing the fatal accident he witnessed Jan. 5, 2020, while driving north on Route 83.
Gladney testified for the prosecution Friday in the jury trial of Eldor Akilov, who authorities say was driving drunk, at more than 40 mph over the speed limit, when he slammed into the Nissan Altima driven by a Des Plaines father of four, killing him and injuring his 10-year-old son.
After exiting his car and dialing 911, Gladney said he approached the T-boned vehicle and “saw the little boy laying on top of his father.” The other vehicle, Akilov’s white Chevy Impala, “went up in flames,” he said.
Akilov went on trial Tuesday in a Skokie courtroom on aggravated DUI charges stemming from the crash that killed Alejandro Arzeta, 46, and seriously injured his son, Alejandro Jr. Authorities say Akilov had a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal threshold of .08 and was driving between 85 mph and 92 mph at the time of the crash, around 7 p.m. near the intersection of Route 83 and Golf Road.
After Akilov, 37, failed to show up in court on Wednesday, Cook County Judge Paul Pavlus issued a warrant for his arrest and sent jurors home.
Jurors returned Friday when the trial resumed without the defendant. In Illinois, a defendant may be tried in absentia as long as he/she is represented by counsel.
Officer Thomas Stancato, a Des Plaines Police Department crash reconstruction expert, testified the Chevy Impala’s speedometer read 89 mph a half second before the crash.
Stancato determined Akilov, the car’s sole occupant, never engaged the brakes and the accelerator was pressed down within a half second of the crash. Tire marks indicated the Chevy Impala drove over the median, Stancato said, and Akilov’s seat belt was unbuckled.
Endeavor Northwest Community Hospital medical personnel previously testified Akilov was intoxicated, with a blood-alcohol level of .220, when they treated him in the emergency room.
Dr. Marta Helenowski, assistant medical examiner with the Cook County medical examiner’s office, testified toxicology reports show Arzeta had no alcohol or controlled substances in his system at the time of the crash.
Arzeta suffered scratches, fractures and cranial trauma, according to Helenowski who determined the cause of death was multiple injuries resulting from a vehicle collision. She classified the manner of death as an accident.
Testimony resumes Tuesday in Skokie’s Second District Courthouse.