Sometimes real life is so much stranger than a writers room could design. If you recall the story of a truck driver in Massachusetts who was acquitted of the deaths of seven riders whom he hit with his truck in 2019, then you probably wouldn't find it shocking to see a new story about him and a DUI charge. You might want to hope that he's getting the help he needs, but 'surprising' isn't the word I'd use.
Only, here's where the story gets weird. It's not that simple, you see. Why? Because this isn't a new DUI.
As you might recall if you kept up with that story as it unfolded, one of the major issues involved was that the driver, Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, had multiple previous charges for driving under the influence across multiple states. Since he's a truck driver, he of course frequently crosses state lines, so it makes sense that he might perform the same behaviors in multiple jurisdictions.
But unfortunately, those state DMVs don't always communicate well with each other, and also tend to develop unfortunate backlogs. If you've ever been to a DMV, I'm sure you're also not surprised by this idea, either.
Back to 2025, and this current case where this truck driver just pleaded guilty to a DUI in Connecticut. The DUI, you see, was issued in East Windsor, Connecticut on May 11, 2019. By rights, his driving license should have been revoked following such an offense—only the case didn't even make it to court for the driver to plead guilty until 2025.
So instead, he just continued driving.
And just one month after the DUI for which he has just been convicted, on June 21, 2019, is the date where Zhukovskyy's truck and those 7 members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club met a terrible fate. One that undoubtedly changed the lives of multiple families forever.
What punishment will the driver receive after pleading guilty to this DUI six years after the fact (and five after all that death)? Reportedly, 18 months of probation, and a conviction on his record.
Would a better communications system between state DMVs and a lesser backlog at those DMVs have changed the way all these events worked out? Probably, but we'll never know.
