Alexander Pak Describes Hit-and-Run on Mother in Volgograd

Alexander Pak«s entire family attended the latest court hearing in Volgograd, where he is accused of running over a mother of three with his white BMW. Today, he presented his account of the incident for the first time.

The hearing commenced at 2:00 PM in the regional court. According to V1.RU correspondent Maria Umnova, Pak testified that he did not feel anything when he struck Yekaterina Buravleva and only found out about the incident after a phone call from his daughter. Below is an excerpt from their dialogue.

— Where were you going that day?

— We decided to visit a friend in a hospice. After getting ready, I left home around 3:00 PM. I had some household trash to throw out, and the bin is at the intersection of Stepnaya and Bolshaya streets. As I approached the hospice, the right side was full of parked cars. A Toyota was pulling out of a parking spot at the end of the row. I drove past and saw the Toyota exiting. I thought maybe the driver didn«t see me, and when she pulled out, I expected her to either go back in or reverse.

— Could you not get past each other?

— Yes. And she drove straight towards me. I looked through the window and saw her gesturing, implying that I should reverse. I tried to move away by turning right to yield, as there was an entrance to a private house there.

— To your left?

— Yes. She started driving and then stopped halfway. Everything was communicated through facial expressions and gestures; no words were exchanged.

— Was music playing?

— Yes, the radio is always on, but I don«t even pay attention to it.

— Were the windows open?

— No, they were all closed. I cracked it open when she yelled something like, «Are you okay?» I closed it again and drove off. I didn«t perceive any conflict. I had almost passed her when the rear of my car lightly brushed her bumper. I didn»t notice it at the time; I only realized it after returning from the hospice. I felt nothing and only learned about it later. Then my daughter called and said, «You did something, the traffic police are looking for you.»

— What do you think happened to Buravleva?

The question was dismissed, but Alexander Pak added:

— I have no facts. It«s not that I»m unwilling to say, but I didn«t witness or hear anything. I suppose if someone grabbed onto a moving vehicle and fell, it wouldn»t end well. But I can«t specify what exactly happened.

The trial of Alexander Pak is being conducted with a jury, as requested by the defendant himself. The jury will decide his guilt or innocence. Pak denies all charges. During the first hearing, the victim«s husband, Yevgeny Buravlev, was questioned and struggled to contain his emotions while recounting the day. He said his son called to say his mother had been hit by a car, and when he arrived, she was unconscious and bleeding. More details on the incident are available in a separate report.