7 dead in crash between truck, motorcycles in New Hampshire

[edpc]

Sketchy hiring and business practices, from the transport company.


Records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration indicate that the company Zhukovskyy was driving for, Westfield Transport, has been cited for various violations in the last two years, MassLive.com reported .

There were two instances where drivers were in possession of narcotic drugs. Other violations including a driver without a commercial driver's license, one for speeding and another for defective brakes.

The company did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/truck-driver-charged-7-homicides-162141644.html

[andy58-in-nh]

@andy58-in-nh, do you know anything more about this?

All I know is that I was relieved that none of the guys I know personally who ride with the Marines were involved. I had trouble sleeping that night until they released the names of the victims. It is still an awful tragedy for all involved. I have only heard that the driver was a known risk, a druggie who still somehow got a CDL. I know that road (Route 2) very well - it is well-marked and maintained, and it would seem that the accused driver somehow lost control of his truck, crossed the center line and then over-corrected, causing his trailer to swerve in the path of the motorcyclists. Absolutely horrible. Prayers for all.     

[Sanguine]

All I know is that I was relieved that none of the guys I know personally who ride with the Marines were involved. I had trouble sleeping that night until they released the names of the victims. It is still an awful tragedy for all involved. I have only heard that the driver was a known risk, a druggie who still somehow got a CDL. I know that road (Route 2) very well - it is well-marked and maintained, and it would seem that the accused driver somehow lost control of his truck, crossed the center line and then over-corrected, causing his trailer to swerve in the path of the motorcyclists. Absolutely horrible. Prayers for all.   

Thanks, Andy, I appreciate your update.  I'm not familiar with that road exactly, but know the general area.  Prayers for all involved.

[rustynail]

The 23-year-old West Springfield truck driver charged with killing seven bikers Friday in New Hampshire had two drunken driving arrests — one just last month — along with a drug conviction on his extensive record and is now facing the prospect of deportation proceedings...
Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, a Ukrainian national with a U.S. green card, is due to be arraigned Tuesday in New Hampshire on seven counts of negligent homicide in the weekend motorcycle disaster — a crash his father said occurred on his son’s third day on the job...
The younger Zhukovskyy’s court file includes a newly filed June 23 letter from an ICE deportation officer requesting details of his 2017 heroin and cocaine convictions.

The younger Zhukovskyy also has a lengthy driving record, including a drunken driving conviction in 2013 and an arrest after failing a field sobriety test last month in a Walmart parking lot in East Windsor, Conn. He was due back in court for that case Wednesday.

When asked why Zhukovskyy still had an active Massachusetts driver’s license before the crash, MassDOT spokeswoman Jacquelyn Goddard said in a statement: “The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles is looking into this matter.” His Massachusetts license was only suspended Monday because he was deemed an “immediate threat,” records show, despite his second OUI arrest on May 11.
Massachusetts State Police arrested Zhukovskyy Monday morning on a fugitive from justice charge out of New Hampshire. He was turned over to N.H. law enforcement officials.

State police also confiscated “wax packets containing a residue suspected of being heroin,” when they arrested Zhukovskyy Monday. State police said additional charges may be filed if they test positive for heroin.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/06/24/truck-driver-in-fatal-n-h-motorcycle-crash-had-drunken-driving-history/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_content=tw-bostonherald

[mystery-ak]

Laura Ingraham
‏Verified account @IngrahamAngle
10h10 hours ago

“Ukrainian national”
w/ a green card who shd have already been deported kills seven in NH in DWI crash.  Dems don’t talk abt THESE victims.


Volodymyr Zhukovskyy appears in court in Springfield, Massachusetts on June 24, 2019. (Staff Photo By Christopher Evans/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

more
https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/06/24/truck-driver-in-fatal-n-h-motorcycle-crash-had-drunken-driving-history/

[LadyLiberty]

He sure does get around:

https://www.masslive.com/news/2019/06/revving-his-truck-engine-and-jumping-around-caller-described-erratic-behavior-before-volodymyr-zhukovskyy-arrested-on-oui-charge-in-connecticut.html

He was arrested in February in Baytown, Texas, for a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Police were called to a Denny’s restaurant at 2 a.m. for a report of an intoxicated man. Zhukovskyy denied being intoxicated but police found a crack pipe in his pocket, police said.

[LadyLiberty]

https://www.wcvb.com/article/driver-in-deadly-new-hampshire-crash-involved-in-texas-rollover-just-weeks-ago-5-investigates-says/28187074

Baytown, Texas, police said Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, was involved in a June 3 rollover crash on Interstate 10.

Police told 5 Investigates that Zhukovskyy said a car had swerved in front of him and he flipped the truck as he tried to avoid the vehicle.At the time, he was driving a red Mack truck car hauler with a Massachusetts registration.

Police said there were no injuries in the Texas incident and no signs of intoxication and no citations were issued. Police could not locate the vehicle that Zhukovskyy said had swerved in front of him.

[edpc]

The Latest: Mass RMV head resigns over crash that killed 7

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.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/latest-mass-rmv-head-resigns-004453991.html

[Smokin Joe]

If he'd shot seven people, would everyone be saying "The warning signs were there?" You betcha.

The warning signs were there.

[Elderberry]

 'Tough to lose your brothers': Funerals held for bikers

    By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press Jun 28, 2019

https://www.wacotrib.com/news/ap_nation/bikers-say-their-farewells-to-those-killed-in-fiery-crash/article_03d10a3e-5c25-5b6a-8990-7de0007db5e3.html

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — A motorcyclist who was among seven killed in a collision with a pickup truck last week was a family man, proud Marine and dedicated public servant, mourners said Friday at a funeral that drew about 200 people, including leather-clad bikers and law enforcement officers.

The funeral for Michael Ferazzi, 62, of Contoocook, New Hampshire, was held at a church in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The rumbling of motorcycles echoed through town as dozens of bikes made their way to the service.

Many riders were fellow members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, with which Ferazzi and the other six killed were riding when they died. They hugged one another as Ferazzi's flag-draped casket was carried into the church and offered a military salute alongside their bikes as the service ended with the Marine Corps hymn on bagpipes.

"Tough to lose your brothers, especially so many at one time," said Jarheads member Paul Downey as he and his fellow bikers got on their motorcycles for the ride to the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

"He had a lot more life in him," said retired Lt. Col. Joe Murray. Ferazzi was in his American Legion post, he said, and the two marched in parades together.

"He didn't need to die when he was obviously enjoying the ride with his buddies," Murray said. "But it's good he died doing something he loved."

Ferazzi's oldest son, Matthew Ferazzi, remembered a father who loved motorcycles and spending time with his family. He recalled golfing and going to Boston Red Sox games with his dad and how he enjoyed holidays.

More at link.

[TomSea]

Lots of updates really,

I might be repeating some information.

ICE has filed a detainer on this driver, I would not think he'd be out for a long time.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/06/25/ice-moves-against-ukrainian-charged-in-nh-biker-crash/

https://www.masslive.com/news/2019/06/what-we-know-about-volodymyr-zhukovskyy-and-the-new-hampshire-crash-that-killed-7-motorcyclists.html
Not sure if it is in this story but significantly, the director of the Massachusetts motor vehicles dept. resigned.

https://www.masslive.com/news/2019/06/report-more-found-in-volodymyr-zhukovskyys-record-driver-accused-of-killing-7-bikers-in-nh-crash-had-violations-in-ohio-and-iowa-as-well.html
He has a record in Iowa and Ohio, Ohio looks especially bad:

The Boston Globe reports that records from Ohio show Zhukovskyy pleaded guilty in 2014 to driving with a suspended license, speeding, providing false information and possessing drug paraphernalia.

One of the charges on this guy was just last month. So, so much info really, 6 states with driving infractions, I mean, you'd almost have to try to get a record like that, too many charges to really go into and finding drugs or drug paraphernalia. He should not have been driving, an accident waiting to happen.

[TomSea]

The latest is that the Massachusetts dept. Of motor vehicles has suspended hundreds of licenses, 300, 400. As said above the head of that dept. resigned.

[TomSea]

Truck driver was on drugs, reaching for drink at time of fatal New Hampshire crash, report says - The Boston Globe

Zhukovskyy, of West Springfield, tested positive after the June 21 collision for an unspecified drug that rendered him incapable of driving safely, federal regulators found. The report does not specify the drug beyond saying it was a narcotic or amphetamine.

The report also includes Zhukovskyy’s admission that he was reaching for a beverage at the time of the crash, as well as a detailed description of the destruction the collision inflicted on the pickup truck and trailer that Zhukovskyy was operating for Westfield Transport Inc. of West Springfield. An inspector found 24 violations of federal motor carrier safety regulations involving Zhukovskyy and the vehicle, according to the report. At least 14 of the violations — such as flat tires, faulty brakes, and inoperable lights — resulted from the collision.

A spokesman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration declined to comment, saying the agency doesn’t discuss crashes publicly. The Globe obtained the inspection report through a public records request.

Read more at: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2019/08/01/truck-driver-was-drugs-reaching-for-drink-time-fatal-new-hampshire-crash-report-says/kJLXEvoX0NbtrceKpa8jgK/story.html

Looks like another recent  story that came out says the Mass. DOT auditor found red flags about this guy and as to why he still had a license.

When the story first broke, someone said "I"ll wait for the report", sounds like we may have one report of what might be a number (inspection report).

[Smokin Joe]

If these are the results of their inspection, they should be available. It seems as if this report is sandbagging with generalities when the specifics should be well known. Is this to cover for people who didn't do their jobs?