Truck Driver Who Killed 7 Motorcyclists Admits Drug Use

The pickup truck driver charged with causing the deaths of seven motorcyclists in New Hampshire told authorities he had drug problem and regularly used heroin and cocaine, but believed he was not impaired at the time of the crash.

The crash also badly injured a Dalton man.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that the admission by Volodymyr Zhukovskyy was included in documents released Wednesday by federal investigators related to the June 2019 crash in Randolph.

Zhukovskyy told Massachusetts State Police after his arrest he was using three or four bags of heroin a day and had used both heroin and cocaine the morning of the crash. He acknowledged that he could feel the effects of the cocaine after his last delivery but that he was,

“fine and okay to drive.”

Zhukovskyy has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of negligent homicide and driving under the influence. He remains in custody as he awaits trial expected early next year. Prosecutors had previously reported in documents that Zhukovskyy had drugs in his system at the time of the crash including fentanyl, morphine and a chemical found in cocaine.

The seven people killed were members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, a New England group that includes Marines and their spouses. The victims were from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.