A woman who struck and killed a pedestrian with her vehicle almost four years ago in Indian Creek was acquitted last week on charges of leaving the scene of an accident.
At trial, Lake County Judge D. Christopher Lombardo dismissed the felony count that had been lodged against Amanda Cisneros-Elacio of Prospect Heights. She was charged in the death of Wojciech Glowik, 22, of Glenview.
Glowik was hit by Cisneros-Elacio’s vehicle as he walked along U.S. Route 45 in Indian Creek at about 2:10 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2021. She did not stop after the collision, authorities said. Personnel at a Buffalo Grove body shop where her SUV was taken for repair saw news about the hit-and-run and alerted police, who charged Cisneros-Elacio with failure to report an accident causing death.
The case went to trial, but the judge dismissed the case, agreeing with defense attorney Steve Goldman that prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Cisneros-Elacio was aware that she had struck a pedestrian with her vehicle.
“She called a friend right after it happened and said she hit a deer,” Goldman said Friday.
Cisneros-Elacio did not see Glowik, who was dressed in dark clothing as he walked along a dark stretch of road, Goldman said, and the SUV struck Glowik with a glancing blow.
At the time of the crash, Cisneros-Elacio was a college student, Goldman said. Since then, she has graduated and works as a teacher’s aide, the attorney said.