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Driver of Truck That Killed 7 Motorcyclists in Randolph Told Police He Reached for an Object

A memorial on Route 2 in Randolph following a crash that left seven motorcylists dead.
Lois Hurley for NHPR
A memorial on Route 2 in Randolph following a crash that left seven motorcylists dead.
A memorial on Route 2 in Randolph following a crash that left seven motorcylists dead.
Lois Hurley for NHPR
A memorial on Route 2 in Randolph following a crash that left seven motorcylists dead.

A newly unsealed affidavit sheds more light on what led to a car crash in Randolph this summer that killed seven motorcyclists, all members of a club for military veterans. 

According to theaffidavit released Tuesday, N.H. State Police received a report of a serious accident at 6:29 p.m. on June 21. A 2016 Dodge pickup truck towing an empty car carrier reportedly crossed the double yellow line on Route 2, striking the group of motorcyclists. 

The bikers — members of the Jarhead Motorcycle Club — had just pulled out of a nearby motel parking lot, and were gaining speed in the eastbound lane. One survivor of the crash told law enforcement that he saw the pickup truck cross the double yellow line and “plow through the group.”

Other eye witnesses told law enforcement the truck was weaving erratically just before the crash, and that multiple bystanders then attempted to provide aid to the victims.

The driver of the truck, Volodoymry Zhukovskyy, 23, is facing seven counts of negligent homicide. He was interviewed at the Lancaster Police Department the evening of the crash, where he told officers he had reached down to grab an object in his center console, causing him to drift across the double yellow line. 

A previously released documentfrom the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says Zhukovskyy tested positive for an unidentified narcotic, but the affidavit makes no mention of a drug test.

Zhukovskyy was arrested at his home in West Springfield, Mass., three days after the crash. After waiving an extradition hearing, he entered a plea of not guilty and remains in custody. 

A previous DUI arrest in Connecticut should have resulted in the suspension of Zhukovskyy's commercial driver's license, but officials in Massachusetts failed to properly process that notifcation.

The accident spurred a review of motor vehicle processing delays in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Both states found that tens of thousands of notifications from other states weren't processed in a timely fashion. 

Copyright 2019 New Hampshire Public Radio

Todd started as a news correspondent with NHPR in 2009. He spent nearly a decade in the non-profit world, working with international development agencies and anti-poverty groups. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.
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