Truck Driver Trial to Begin
allen griggs
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By KATHY McCORMACK, Associated Press
6 hours ago
The trial for a commercial truck driver charged with causing the deaths in 2019 of seven members of a Marine motorcycle club is starting Tuesday
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The trial for a commercial truck driver charged with causing the deaths in 2019 of seven members of a Marine motorcycle club will open Tuesday, more than three years after the crash in northern New Hampshire.
Jurors visited the crash scene Monday and traced Volodymyr Zhukovskyy's route from an auto dealership in Gorham along U.S. Route 2 to the crash site in Randolph, about 10 miles away. Opening statements are expected Tuesday in the trial, which is being held in state superior court in Lancaster.
The motorcyclists who died June 21, 2019, were from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and ranged in age from 42 to 62. They were part of a larger group that had just left a motel along the highway and were headed to an American Legion Post in Gorham to set up for an annual meeting.
They were traveling east when they collided with the westbound truck, which was towing an empty flatbed trailer.
Zhukovskyy, 26, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, has pleaded not guilty to negligent homicide, manslaughter, driving under the influence and reckless conduct. He has been in jail since then.
Federal investigators said Zhukovskyy, who was returning from delivering vehicles for a Massachusetts transport company, regularly used drugs.
Zhukovskyy himself told police that he had used both heroin and cocaine that morning, but that he was “fine and OK to drive" later that evening, authorities said.
The National Transportation Safety Board approved a report in December 2020 that concluded that Zhukovskyy’s impairment from the drugs was the “probable cause” for him crossing the center line on the highway and sparking the fiery crash.
Prosecutors said Zhukovskyy should never have been on the road in the first place. His commercial driving license should have been revoked in Massachusetts because of a drunken driving arrest in Connecticut about two months earlier, they said.
Comments
Fine piece of work that clown is.
If a driver is convicted of DUI his career is OVER. I would think there is a mechanism where the cops notify the company if a driver was arrested for DUI.
At my former company, if they found out that a driver was charged with DUI he would be shown the door.
Too long in coming.
CDL lic should have alrteady been denied.
Someone had already dropped the ball, big time in my opinion.
Drivers with CDL's should be random tested quite often.
My CDL required being re-newed every 5 years or so and anything on previous records would not have got a renewed CDL.
When I was working for a company that required employees have a CDL, employees were random drug tested quite often and if failed the drug test they we be throwed out the door (lose job) and the CDL would get revoked by the Hiway Patrol.
BUT I did notice after I inadvertly let my CDL expire once and I had to go back to Hiway patrol and re- take a written test only (no drivers test) and was issued a new CDL I was dropped out of the company's system as ever being re-called again for drugs tests. (they must have been random selecting for the drug test by the employees CDL lic number instead of going by employees names????) I just let a sleeping dog lay and never reported such. No need in attrafcting attention towards myself as a peon.
Need more drug testing of ALL drivers with vec licensen in my opinion.
DMV already complaining of being overloaded with just routine things.
Maybe this needs reported to BRANDON. (not the race car driver) but the real Brandon.
That's not swift nor speedy..............why three years?
This guy has a long history of drunk driving, drug possession, driving with suspended license, and using false id's going clear back to 2013.
Not only should he have never been behind the wheel, he should have been deported years ago. I hope he never sees another day of freedom.
Goner
Unfortunately the guy may walk on some of the charges based on this report.
It appears that one of the cyclists was over the DUI limit (.135) and the same guy might have been on or over the centerline.
No excuses for what this guy did but having rode a motorcycle for 50 years, I learned two things, first absolutely no drinking and driving, second I never ride close to the center, especially with the distracted drivers today.
That article is from 2 years ago. His liars, I mean lawyers, claimed a Harley was across the yellow line. Who knows the truth?
His defense team was pushing for bail but they failed. The crash was 3 years ago and he has been in jail the entire time. When you admit to the Troopers, "I shot heroin and snorted coke this morning, but this afternoon at the time of the crash I'm fine, the dope has worn off" you know you are in trouble.
Three years ago every truck in the little company I worked for had forward looking cameras, and they were very good. I guess 'ol Sergei's company didn't have cameras.
I would've thought the truck driver would've chose on the other side of the drug column (like meth).
That reminds me I was in Seaside where I was going to an auto parts store where a box truck with park anywhere lights on sitting all of sudden it started to back up. Leaned in to my horn (good 10 seconds) and I got to see the Tennessee plate real close. By the time dude stopped I no longer saw the plate. A Mexican feller come waltzing up and yes I am a racist for expecting a Jerry Reed looking guy to be the driver. Dude told me he didn't see me. And all I could say was "yeah". I guess even in state of Tennessee will hand out licenses to anyone. At least this dude spoke enough understandable English.
Any ways next time I see a box truck ahead of me I'll take the next street over to get to my destination.
done