Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack issued a statement on Tuesday on the driving history and license status of the Massachusetts man facing charges in connection with the deadly crash in New Hampshire that killed seven motorcyclists and left three others injured.

The head of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, Erin Deveney, resigned, Pollack said, after failing to terminate the commercial driving license of 23-year-old Volodymyr Zhukovskyy after the state received information from Connecticut authorities that should have cost him his license.

Zhukovskyy, of West Springfield, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to seven counts of negligent homicide related to the crash.


Here’s what Pollack said about the agency’s missteps leading up to the crash:

“The loss of life in any motor vehicle crash is a terrible tragedy and the massive toll this crash is taking on the families of the seven individuals who lost their lives, many of whom served this country, is impossible to comprehend. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has a responsibility to enforce the laws governing safe operation of vehicles and carries out its mission to the best of its abilities. But in this case, the RMV had not acted on information provided by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles about a May 11 incident that should have triggered termination of this individual’s commercial driver’s license. Effective immediately, former MassDOT Chief Operating Officer Jamey Tesler will take over as Acting Registrar of the RMV as I have accepted Registrar Erin Deveney’s resignation. Jamey will lead an in depth review of the Registry’s state-to-state data sharing processes to ensure the RMV acts as quickly as possible on any information shared by other states.”

According to MassDot, an initial review of Zhukovskyy’s driving record determined the following: