Posted on 06/25/2019 6:30:07 AM PDT by woodbutcher1963
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The driver of a pickup truck that collided Friday night with a group of motorcyclists, killing seven people and injuring three others, has returned to New Hampshire to face negligent homicide charges.
Volodoymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, faced a judge Monday afternoon in Massachusetts and waived his extradition to New Hampshire. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Coos County Superior Court in Lancaster, New Hampshire.
Prosecutors said Zhukovskyy was driving a 2016 Dodge pickup truck that crashed into a group of motorcyclists on Route 2 in Randolph. Seven people were killed, and three more were hurt.
Zhukovskyy was arrested at his home in Massachusetts on a fugitive from justice charge that was dismissed Monday afternoon after he agreed to extradition to New Hampshire.
"This is a tragedy," defense attorney Donald Frank said. "This is a real tragedy for all of those families. I read the newspaper accounts. I don't know anything more about it than that, but he is still innocent until proven guilty. I hope that everyone respects that."
Local, state and federal agencies are investigating the crash. Coos County Attorney John McCormick said there was enough evidence to bring charges against Zhukovskyy.
"We looked at the evidence carefully," McCormick said. "State troopers and investigators have been working around the clock for the last three days since Friday when this even unfolded, and we had probable cause and we made an arrest."
Prosecutors have not released the evidence that led to the charges and have filed a motion to seal the probable cause affidavit, saying the investigation is ongoing.
All seven of those killed were on motorcycles, and they were all members or supporters of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, which is made up of Marine veterans.
The victims were identified as: •Michael Ferazzi, 62, of Contoocook •Albert Mazza, 59, of Lee •Desma Oakes, 42, of Concord •Aaron Perry, 45, of Farmington •Daniel Pereira, 58, of Riverside, Rhode Island •Jo-Ann and Edward Corr, both 58, of Lakeville, Massachusetts
Two of the people who were injured were later released from the hospital, and the third, 45-year-old Joshua Morin of Dalton, Massachusetts, is at Maine Medical Center. Morin is listed in stable condition.
>> Link: GoFundMe page to support victims' families
News 9 has learned that Zhukovskyy appeared in a Springfield courtroom in April 2012 on charges of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and speeding. The three charges were dismissed.
He also made an appearance in court in 2017 on two drug charges. He pleaded guilty and paid a fine.
Last month, he was arrested in Connecticut and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and drugs. According to The Associated Press, Zhukovskyy was charged in 2013 with drunken driving in Westfield, Massachusetts.
Probably no need, their assets are probably a pick up and a trailer and a LLC.
Having not been there to see it myself, I can’t definitely say what happened *but* survivors are pretty much all saying the same thing.
He drove straight into them.
The Maryland chapter of ABATE fought long and hard to make it a “crime” to run over a biker.
Before, it was basically just a “oops, I think I hit something” misdemeanor charge.
We had the legal status of highway groundhogs.
It’s surreal.
Announcement from the Jarheads MC page, for a GoFundMe for their surviving family members
On Friday, June 21st 2019 Jarheads MC was riding to a charity event at the local American Legion in Gorham, New Hampshire Post #82. Our pack was struck by an oncoming vehicle and we lost 5 patch holders and 2 supporters, and many others are injured.
Ship his ass back.
I’d rather he stay here and meet other bikers in prison.
I doubt it was intentional.
Most likely a cell phone/texting issue.
It is madness.
My wife and I were driving south on 495 in Massachusetts yesterday just north of the Lowell Connector at about 11:00 AM.
I was in the left hand lane doing about 75 mph in heavy traffic with a lot of tractor trailers. (The speed limit is 65 MPH IIRc, but nobody does it through there when there isn’t bumper to bumper traffic...doing 65 is actually unsafe)
When there are a lot of tractor trailers, I prefer to drive in the left hand lane because they aren’t allowed in the left lane in Massachusets.
When I have to pass a truck in the lane to the right of the left lane, I watch and wait until there is enough room behind the car in front of me to clear the truck, then I accellerate and pass the truck, watching the front wheels of the truck carefully for any indication it might come into our lane. While I am doing this, I also hover my hand over the horn...just in case.
Habit.
As we passed, we were about half way past the truck when the front of the truck began to cross the line and came about two feet into my lane and kept coming. There is no real breakdown lane on the left there, probably about 1/3 the width of a normal breakdown lane with a rumble strip to the left of the white road stripe with jersey barriers just a few feet to the left of that rumble strip.
No place to go.
I jerked the car over as far as I could, jacked on the brakes, went over the rumble strip as my side mirror was less than a foot from the Jersey Barriers, my hand came down firmly on the horn and stayed there as my wife shrieked at the top of her lungs “OH MY GOD!”
The truck jerked back into its own lane, and we drove the rest of the way home with my white-knuckled wife clutching the door and the seat.
I don’t know why that truck came over, but...could have been sleepy. Could have been texting. Could have been doing some paper notation or map adjustment, I don’t know.
But that is all it takes on the road these days, is a second or two to become a grease spot on a jersey barrier because someone took their eyes off the road.
That’s all it takes. And for an inexperienced driver towing a trailer...even less.
It is damned dangerous on the roads these days. Damned dangerous.
I watch truckers wobbling over the lines and rumble strips all the time.
Could be the monotony of driving in the middle of nowhere mountain infested western MD.
I either stay way back or blast around them so I don’t end up in their debris field.
Despite the alleged zero tolerance laws in MD, *everyone* is on their damn phones.
Followed a chick up RT 40 Friday, doing 38mph in a 50 zone.
She was “driving slow” so her texting while driving would be ‘safer’.
Never a cop around when you need one.
Dittos! Jail his ass in a biker cell block!
Texting and driving is worse than DUI, IMHO.
I see it everyday in Nashua.
I am glad you made it through the Lowell Connector alive.
I am lucky that I only drive into Mass a few times a year.
I live less than 15 miles away. With the exception of going to a Red Sox game or Logan. I stay out.
LOL, you LIVED to tell the tale, woodbutcher1963!
And if the perp is an illegal, why wasn’t he deported after repeatedly breaking our laws?!
And after all those legal issues, why was he still working for his current employer?
Is anyone taking a damn good look at the perp’s employer?
Got some stuff coming in from the MC but here’s this, for now
More people testifying that he plowed right into the group.
No swerving, no “over correcting”.
Just plowed through them.
Refused a drug test at the scene.
See post #35.
Eye witnesses speaking up.
I guess he’s here on a green card. The same question should apply.
I can’t find a citation for the green card info.
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