Truck driver in deadly Randolph crash won't get license back till 2026
Jul. 10—Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, the Massachusetts truck driver acquitted of manslaughter in the 2019 deaths of seven motorcyclists, will not be able to get his driving privileges back until 2026, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Zhukovskyy's driver's license will be suspended for the maximum of seven years under New Hampshire law, dating back to June 24, 2019, Administrative Law Judge Ryan N. McFarland of the Bureau of Hearings ordered.
In May, McFarland found that Zhukovskyy drove in an unlawful or reckless manner on June 21, 2019, contributing to the deadly crash on U.S. Route 2 in Randolph that killed Al "Woody" Mazza, Danny "Danny Boy" Pereira, Ed "Taz" Corr and his wife, Jo-Ann Corr, Michael "Fritz" Ferazzi, Aaron "Stitches" Perry and his girlfriend, Desma Oickle.
The Division of Motor Vehicles suspended Zhukovskyy's license and New Hampshire driving privileges three days after the crash.
In August 2022 after a 12-day trial, it took less than three hours for a Coos County Superior Court jury to find Zhukovskyy not guilty on seven counts of manslaughter, seven counts of negligent homicide and one count of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon.
According to court documents and trial testimony, Zhukovskyy was headed westbound on Route 2 when he encountered an eastbound group of members and supporters of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club.
In its initial charges, the state alleged that Zhukovskyy was under the influence of cocaine and/or heroin when the pickup truck and trailer he was towing crossed into the Jarheads' path.
"The driver of the truck was impaired by several drugs, and at the time of the crash had a suspended license in Connecticut, which was entered into an electronic system that alerts other states and should have led the Massachusetts RMV to revoke his license," according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Zhukovskyy admitted to authorities that he had two bags of heroin and some cocaine the morning of the accident.
At trial, Judge Peter Bornstein deemed that prosecutors had failed to prove Zhukovskyy was impaired and dismissed those related charges.
Meanwhile, defense attorneys said that Mazza, who was legally drunk, actually had collided with Zhukovskyy's truck over the double-yellow line on Route 2, jamming the truck's steering and causing it to veer into the Jarheads.
During a hearing in June, Dawn Brindley, who survived the crash, tearfully recounted the scene.
"I remember seeing bodies on fire and pieces of my friends scattered on the road," she said. "The carnage that you caused that day will never leave my memories. You destroyed many lives that day and forever scarred me."
Brindley and authorities said Zhukovskyy should not have been on the road.
"You're a liar and don't deserve to operate any type of vehicle in my state of New Hampshire," she said. "You don't deserve to be walking around free while families and loved ones that fell victim that day share the heartbreak and horrific memories knowing that you got away with killing seven people."
