RMV scandal: What we know about the failures within the registry before New Hampshire crash that killed 7
Posted Aug 4
Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack releases the result of an internal investigation into MassDOT's processing of out-of-state motor vehicle violations on July 1, 2019. (Shira Schoenberg / The Republican)
The horrific crash in New Hampshire that left seven motorcyclists dead and families heartbroken had a ripple effect across state lines into Massachusetts and grew into a scandal over failures at the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Authorities in Massachusetts wanted to know how and why 23-year-old West Springfield resident Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, the man accused of killing the motorcycle riders, was still behind the wheel.
Zhukovskyy had a driving under the influence arrest one month prior in Connecticut. His license was never suspended on that charge. RMV officials said his out-of-state violation was one of thousands left unprocessed.
Massachusetts lawmakers on the Joint Committee on Transportation launched an investigation examining why the Registry of Motor Vehicle failed to suspend Volodymyr Zhukovskyy after his May arrest.
The committee’s investigation into the Massachusetts Department of Transportation led to several bombshells this week, as emails and testimony revealed an agency in disorder. Some employees knew for years about problems processing paper notices with out-of-state violations, and the backlogs multiplied.
With the revelations, however, came wonky details of multiple backlogs, record-keeping procedures and at times contradictory testimony. Here’s how to make sense of it.
What happened in New Hampshire?
Zhukovskyy was driving a black 2016 Dodge 2500 pickup truck with an empty car carrier trailer attached Friday night on Route 2 in Randolph, New Hampshire when he crashed into a group of motorcyclists, authorities said. Seven motorcyclists died, and three were injured. Authorities said Zhukovskyy was not injured.
According to a federal inspection report released this week, Zhukovskyy said he was reaching for a beverage when his pickup truck swerved into the members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club. The report states he was high on a narcotic or amphetamine.
In the wake of the deadly crash, Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack announced there were tens of thousands of unprocessed paper notices of out-of-state violations.
Registrar Erin Deveney stepped down.
Pollack and Acting Registrar Jamey Tesler said employees combed through the backlog, processing more than 2,000 suspensions for 1,607 drivers. But few details came out explaining why the backlog existed before this week’s legislative hearing. Weeks after the crash, Pollack said she wouldn’t elaborate on the RMV’s failures because the department was undergoing a forensic audit by a private consulting firm, Grant Thornton.
MassDOT has until Monday afternoon to hand over RMV records for lawmakers’ investigation
Lawmakers urged MassDOT to hand over correspondence and other records that state officials initially declined to hand over for the legislative investigation, following the death of seven motorcyclists in a New Hampshire crash involving a Massachusetts driver.
Who was killed in the crash?
The victims of the crash were members of the Jarhead Motorcycle Club, a group of former Marines and their spouses. They included Jo-Ann and Edward Corr, both 58, of Lakeville, Massachusetts; Michael Ferazzi, 62, of Contoocook, New Hampshire; Albert Mazza Jr., 59, of Lee, New Hampshire; Desma Oakes, 42, of Concord, New Hampshire; Aaron Perry, 45, of Farmington, New Hampshire; and Daniel Pereira, 58, of Riverside, Rhode Island.
Their deaths shocked bikers across the country, and thousands joined a memorial ride to honor “The Fallen 7.”
What do we know about Zhukovskyy?
Zhukovskyy worked as a truck driver for Westfield Transport and has a commercial license. But his record shows a troubled history of violations.
There’s the May 21 arrest in Connecticut: Zhukovskyy was arrested on a drunk driving charge and is accused of refusing to take a chemical test.
Zhukovskyy’s license was also suspended for several years after he was arrested for drunk driving in Westfield. He was arrested in February at a Denny’s in Baytown, Texas, after police said they found a crackpipe in his pocket. He was involved in a rollover crash in Texas weeks before the fatal June 21 crash.
Body cam video shows Texas arrest of Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, charged with killing 7 motorcyclists in N.H. crash
Zhukovskyy was arrested Feb. 11 in a Baytown, Texas Denny's for alleged possession of a crack pipe.
Who’s investigating the crash?
The investigation into the crash has expanded to include multiple agencies because it involved people from multiple states and a commercial driver.
The New Hampshire State Police, the National Traffic Safety Board and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are looking into the incident. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey launched an investigation into the trucking company that hired Zhukovskyy, Westfield Transport.
The Massachusetts Legislature stepped in after transportation officials announced Zhukovskyy’s license was part of a massive backlog of unprocessed out-of-state violations.
Who’s come under scrutiny since the crash?
Pollack blamed the registry’s senior leadership for the agency’s failures during her testimony this week, but she declined to name anyone besides Deveney.
So far, Deveney is the only senior MassDOT official who has resigned since the New Hampshire crash. Payroll records show Deveney had a six-figure salary, making $143,871 in 2018. She made $75,147 in 2019 until her resignation, which included a buyout of $34,527.
Pollack, who says she was unaware of any issues until after the crash, also faced questions about how she and other top state officials could have gone so long without knowing about record-keeping problems that seemed like an open secret among RMV staff.
Since Tuesday’s hearing, Sen. Eric Lesser has called for the resignation of Merit Rating Board Director Thomas Bowes, one of the supervisors who knew about unprocessed out-of-state violations. Bowes made $113,231 in 2018, according to state payroll records.
Gov. Charlie Baker received questions about whether his office knew about any problems within the registry.
RMV hearing puts pressure on Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollock, Gov. Charlie Baker
Lawmakers said they were skeptical that the Registry of Motor Vehicle's failures, known by several of the agency's employees, didn't become apparent to top officials leading up to the fatal New Hampshire crash.
What did lawmakers learn from Tuesday’s testimony?
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was that several RMV employees knew about the record-keeping problems -- at least as early as spring 2016 -- and either passed the buck or ignored the growing backlog altogether.
The responsibility of tackling the paper notices of out-of-state violations appeared to be the responsibility of the RMV’s Driver Control Unit, which has hearing officers who review suspension notices and appeals.
But Keith Costantino said he didn’t know the unit was supposed to process those out-of-state violations when he became director in 2015. He told lawmakers he heard about the boxes in August and learned in spring 2016 that they were a three-year backlog of unprocessed out-of-state violations.
He told Deveney. In the fall of 2016, she ordered another team called the Merit Rating Board to deal with the backlog.
Deveney told lawmakers this week that no protocol for handling the backlog existed prior to 2016. Even after the Merit Rating Board took over the backlog, the out-of-state violations weren’t fully processed.
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