The state’s Registrar of Motor Vehicles Erin Deveney is out after revelations emerged Tuesday the agency might have played a role in preventing the deaths of seven motorcyclists, including a Haverhill man.
Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said the Registry had the power to revoke the commercial driver’s license of 23-year-old Volodymyr Zhukovskyy. The man is facing seven counts of negligent homicide after his pickup truck collided with the motorcyclists, including former Haverhill resident Albert “Woody” Mazza Jr. of Lee, N.H.
“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,” Pollack said in a statement.
She said MassDOT Chief Operating Officer Jamey Tesler is taking over as acting registrar following Deveney’s resignation. Tesler will lead a 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.”
The motorcyclists killed were part of Jarheads Motorcycle Club who were riding to a charity event at the American Legion in Gorham, N.H. The club consists of active duty or honorably discharged marines and FMF Corpsmen.
Besides Mazza, those killed are Jo-Ann and Edward Corr, of Lakeville, N.H.; Michael Ferazzi, of Contoocook, N.H.; Daniel Pereira, of Riverside, R.I.; Desma Oakes, of Concord, N.H.; and Aaron Perry of Farmington, N.H. Two others were taken to the Androscoggin Valley Hospital and one was airlifted to Maine Medical.