Report: Driver in fatal motorcycle crash was on drugs, reaching for drink

A new federal report says that a driver accused of causing a crash that claimed the lives of seven members of a motorcycle club in Randolph, New Hampshire in June was under the influence of drugs and distracted by a drink.

According to an Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) report obtained by the Boston Globe, 23 year old Volodymyr Zhukovskyy tested positive for an “unspecified”  narcotic or amphetamine drug that made him incapable of driving safely.

Seven riders in a motorcycle club comprised of active and veteran Marines were killed in a collision with a pickup truck in Randolph, N.H., Friday night. https://t.co/dJqQj6lSqC

— NPR (@NPR) June 23, 2019

The report also states that Zhukovskyy admitted to investigators that he was reaching for a drink the moment that he swerved his pickup towing a trailer and crashed into 10 members of the Jarheads motorcycle club, killing seven people.

Zhukovskyy was driving for the now-closed Massachusetts based company Westfield Transport at the time of the June 21 crash.

Zhukovskyy has a history of substance abuse violations. He was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia on February 11, 2019 when police discovered a crack pipe on his person while he was “talking to himself and acting strange” at a Denney’s restaurant in Texas. He was also arrested for OUI (Operating Under the Influence) on May 11, 2019, in Connecticut after police were called to a Walmart parking lot for reports of someone revving a truck engine and jumping around in the lot.

Zhukovskyy is facing seven charges of negligent homicide. He has pled not guilty to all charges.