NH - Seven motorcyclists dead when truck collided with them, Randolph, June 2019 *not guilty*

"The driver in a western New Hampshire crash that killed seven bikers was arrested Monday, prosecutors say.

Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, of West Springfield, Mass., was arrested at his home around 8 a.m., the New Hampshire Attorney General's office said in a statement.

Zhukovskyy was taken into custody on a fugitive from justice charge by Massachusetts State Police, according to the statement, after a New Hampshire warrant was issued for his arrest on seven counts of negligent homicide.

Massachusetts State Police said in a statement that a large number of packets suspected to contain heroin were found in Zhukovskyy's residence. Police are testing the residue to determine whether the substance is a narcotic. If so, he will also be charged with a drug offense."

Truck Driver Arrested In New Hampshire Motorcycle Crash That Killed 7
 
"The driver in a western New Hampshire crash that killed seven bikers was arrested Monday, prosecutors say.

Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, of West Springfield, Mass., was arrested at his home around 8 a.m., the New Hampshire Attorney General's office said in a statement.

Zhukovskyy was taken into custody on a fugitive from justice charge by Massachusetts State Police, according to the statement, after a New Hampshire warrant was issued for his arrest on seven counts of negligent homicide.

Massachusetts State Police said in a statement that a large number of packets suspected to contain heroin were found in Zhukovskyy's residence. Police are testing the residue to determine whether the substance is a narcotic. If so, he will also be charged with a drug offense."

Truck Driver Arrested In New Hampshire Motorcycle Crash That Killed 7

Wow. Seven counts of negligent homicide and probable drug charges.

Next question, were drugs involved in the crash? moo
 
Wow. Seven counts of negligent homicide and probable drug charges.

Next question, were drugs involved in the crash? moo
I wonder if his employer required a drug test after the accident. Some employers drug free policies will state that if you are at fault, and drugs are found in your blood stream, they will not provide you medical care, or legal representation.
 
"The driver of a truck in a crash that killed seven motorcyclists in New Hampshire was arrested on drunken driving charges last month and in 2013.

Connecticut court records show Volodymyr Zhukovskyy was stopped by police in East Windsor, Connecticut, on May 11. Details of the arrest were not immediately available. A message seeking comment was left for his lawyer in that case.

Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles records show Zhukovskyy was arrested for drunken driving in 2013 in Westfield, Massachusetts.

The Westfield News reported he was placed on probation for one year and had his license suspended for 210 days."
The Latest: Suspect in motorcycle crash appears in court


When I started reading this thread my thoughts were that because he was towing this big massive hard-to-handle trailer this was the type of accident that could happen to lots of people. But later with the articles about heroin possession and drunk driving convictions the felony charges are much more likely to be true.

I don't understand why any transportation company would hire drivers with drunk driving convictions; it's just too risky.
 
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what can you even say here? i've tried 4 times and deleted each thought because... there just aren't any words. I have no idea what justice looks like here.

Lost my brother to a hit and run. Motorcycle vs. city bus. There's just no words and it never gets easier. Never.

Heartbreaking for all those who knew and loved these folks.
 
I wonder if his employer required a drug test after the accident. Some employers drug free policies will state that if you are at fault, and drugs are found in your blood stream, they will not provide you medical care, or legal representation.

His employer said that the driver had not called him and he wasn't accepting the employers phone calls. That was in a Sunday article posted on WS.

Would the police have been able to test him?
 
His employer said that the driver had not called him and he wasn't accepting the employers phone calls. That was in a Sunday article posted on WS.

Would the police have been able to test him?
Usually when you go to the hospital, they ask you if your injury is work related. If the driver went to the hospital, stated yes, it was work related, then maybe. The company drug policy would be the deciding factor. If police expected him of being under the influence, they may have requested he be drug tested. (FYI - marijuana stays in your system for 37 days. I used to have to rescind job offers when the drug test came back.)

I looked up the employer. It is a very small company, like 5 employees. In my opinion, there likely is not a drug policy. I’m sure they have the required insurance, or they wouldn’t be in business. I think financially, it will devastate the employer, and bankruptcy will be forthcoming. There’s no way a small employer, even with good insurance, can recover from the legal aspect of this. JMO.

RIP to all the lost souls and their families.
 
Usually when you go to the hospital, they ask you if your injury is work related. If the driver went to the hospital, stated yes, it was work related, then maybe. The company drug policy would be the deciding factor. If police expected him of being under the influence, they may have requested he be drug tested. (FYI - marijuana stays in your system for 37 days. I used to have to rescind job offers when the drug test came back.)

I looked up the employer. It is a very small company, like 5 employees. In my opinion, there likely is not a drug policy. I’m sure they have the required insurance, or they wouldn’t be in business. I think financially, it will devastate the employer, and bankruptcy will be forthcoming. There’s no way a small employer, even with good insurance, can recover from the legal aspect of this. JMO.

RIP to all the lost souls and their families.

This article includes that he was arrested a month ago for Driving Under Influence of Alcohol and Drugs.

Welcome to Juneuary: Colorado gets almost 2 feet of snow on the first day of summer

If he is in custody and has been on heroin then he will be dope sick by tomorrow's hearing. JMO.
 
The driver has been arrested.

Pickup truck driver arrested following New Hampshire highway collision that left 7 motorcyclists dead

Edit:
I did not read the other thread. Feel free to move or delete this post.

I suggested this thread can be merged into the other one ?
Maybe I should pm a mod ?

Also it appears the truck driver has a criminal record for dui's :

Randolph NH Crash: Truck Driver Volodymyr Zhukovskyy Charged – CBS Boston


"...According to Zhukovskyy’s driving record, he was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Connecticut on May 11. Zhukovskyy was charged with operating under the influence in 2013 and his license was suspended because he was listed as an “immediate threat....” Emph. Mine

If that's true, then why was he driving for his employer ?

[FONT=Lato, Arial, sans-serif] [/FONT]Details emerge on Mass. driving record for man accused in deadly NH crash | News | westernmassnews.com

We spoke with the co-owner of Westfield Transport, the company Zhukovskyy worked for. He told us that Zhukovskyy was a new driver with the company and this was only his second trip.

Did Westfield Transport believe Zhukovskyy had mended his ways ? Or did they not perform a background check on him ?

Eta : I started this thread in "Up to the minute" b/c at the beginning I didn't know if there was criminal intent , as opposed to ' it was just a terrible accident' scenario.
The fact that plastic packages of possible heroin in his home may change this .
He may have been in a drug-induced rage.
 
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I suggested this thread can be merged into the other one ?
Maybe I should pm a mod ?

Also it appears the truck driver has a criminal record for dui's :

Randolph NH Crash: Truck Driver Volodymyr Zhukovskyy Charged – CBS Boston


"...According to Zhukovskyy’s driving record, he was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Connecticut on May 11. Zhukovskyy was charged with operating under the influence in 2013 and his license was suspended because he was listed as an “immediate threat....” Emph. Mine

If that's true, then why was he driving for his employer ?

[FONT=Lato, Arial, sans-serif] [/FONT]Details emerge on Mass. driving record for man accused in deadly NH crash | News | westernmassnews.com

We spoke with the co-owner of Westfield Transport, the company Zhukovskyy worked for. He told us that Zhukovskyy was a new driver with the company and this was only his second trip.

Did Westfield Transport believe Zhukovskyy had mended his ways ? Or did they not perform a background check on him ?

Eta : I started this thread in "Up to the minute" b/c at the beginning I didn't know if there was criminal intent , as opposed to ' it was just a terrible accident' scenario.
The fact that plastic packages of possible heroin in his home may change this .
He may have been in a drug-induced rage.

I believe when you apply for a job, they ask if you've ever been "convicted" not "arrested.
The 2013 charge was dismissed.
Where as the latest charge was in May, he wouldn't have been "convicted" on that charge either.
 
"Volodymyr Zhukovskyy waived arraignment Tuesday on seven counts of negligent homicide for his alleged role in a crash that killed seven people Friday on a New Hampshire highway. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

Here are some key facts we know about Zhukovskyy, 23, and the case pending against the West Springfield resident...

He was ordered held in “preventive detention” Tuesday, on the grounds that his “criminal and driving history exhibit a pattern of operating a motor vehicle in a dangerous manner,” a bail order says. “If released, he will likely present a danger to the safety of defendant or the public.”...

Zhukovskyy’s checkered driving record began at age 16, when, according to court records, police in West Springfield found him and another man in a car crashed into heavy brush. Zhukovskyy was charged with driving without a license, speeding, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle...

The Zhukovskyy family is originally from Ukraine and has lived in the United States for about 13 years...

Zhukovskyy had begun working for Westfield Transport three days before the crash, according to the company’s owner, Dartanyan Gasanov. Zhukovskyy had gotten his commercial driving license less than a year ago, according to Zhukovskyy’s brother-in-law...

Online records for the US Department of Transportation dating back two years show that the company hasn’t had any prior crashes resulting in injuries or death during that period. However, 21 out of 45 inspections in that period turned up various safety violations, according to a DOT database. In March of 2018, a driver was cited for having “Drugs/Alcohol” in the vehicle, and a company truck had an “inadequate break system,” the database says."

As driver waives arraignment, here’s what we know about the N.H. crash that killed 7 people - The Boston Globe
 
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Did law enforcement draw blood at the scene to test if he was drunk or high ?
So many unanswered questions.
 
"The head of the Massachusetts motor vehicle division has resigned for failing to terminate the commercial driving license of man whose collision with a group of motorcyclists in New Hampshire left seven dead.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack said in a statement that the RMV failed to act on information provided by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles about an incident involving Zhukovskyy that should have cost him his license. As a result, she accepted the resignation of Erin Deveney."

Official: Driver in motorcycle wreck should've lost license
 
"The head of the Massachusetts motor vehicle division has resigned for failing to terminate the commercial driving license of man whose collision with a group of motorcyclists in New Hampshire left seven dead.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack said in a statement that the RMV failed to act on information provided by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles about an incident involving Zhukovskyy that should have cost him his license. As a result, she accepted the resignation of Erin Deveney."

Official: Driver in motorcycle wreck should've lost license

It seems the information coming out continues to grow worse. This horrifying event could have been prevented. :(

[...] He was driving erratically and crossed the center line, according to criminal complaints released Tuesday.

[...] A survivor of the crash (Manny Ribeiro) said the trailer wiped out most of the bikers behind him.

[...] After the crash, Ribeiro recalled seeing Zhukovskyy "screaming and running around" in the road before authorities arrived and took him away.

Connecticut prosecutors said Zhukovskyy was arrested May 11 in a Walmart parking lot in East Windsor after failing a sobriety test. [...]

Police in Texas told several media outlets that Zhukovskyy also crashed a tractor trailer in suburban Houston earlier this month. [...]

[...] Zhukovskyy's court file includes a letter dated Sunday from a deportation officer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement requesting details on his 2017 heroin and cocaine convictions.

Motor vehicle head resigns over fatal crash that killed 7
 
^^ “Zhukovskyy, a driver for a transport company who has a history of traffic arrests, was ordered Tuesday to remain in preventive detention, with a judge saying his driving record poses a potential danger to the public and himself.

Tragically too little too late
 

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