Owner of truck involved in N.H. crash that killed 7 pleads guilty

Crime

Dunyadar Gasanov pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements to federal investigators and falsifying safety records.

FILE – Volodymyr Zhukovskyy looks back at the gallery before closing statements at his trial at Coos County Superior Court, in Lancaster, N.H., Aug. 9, 2022. The commercial truck driver who was acquitted in the 2019 deaths of seven motorcyclists won’t be eligible to get his license back for another two years, New Hampshire safety officials said Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (David Lane/Union Leader via AP, Pool, File)

An owner of the truck involved in a 2019 New Hampshire crash that killed seven motorcyclists pleaded guilty to federal charges on Tuesday.

Dunyadar Gasanov, also known as Damien Gasanov, 39, pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements to federal investigators. He and co-defendant Dartanayan Gasanov were originally indicted in 2021.

Dunyadar Gasanov and Dartanayan Gasanov owned Westfield Transport, Inc., a statement from the office of Acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy said. Their company owned and operated the truck involved in the fatal crash.

Dartanayan Gasanov pleaded not guilty to similar charges and is awaiting trial.

Dunyadar Gasanov admitted to lying about when he met Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, the driver prosecutors deemed responsible for the crash. Dunyadar Gasanov told investigators he met Zhukovskyy on the day he hired the driver, according to Levy’s office.

However, the statement said, Dunyadar Gasanov actually had a preexisting years-long friendship with Zhukovskyy. He also knew Zhukovskyy had previously been charged with driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, prosecutors said.

In June of 2019, Zhukovskyy’s truck collided with a group of motorcyclists on the road in Randolph, New Hampshire. He had taken cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin before he got behind the wheel. Seven motorcyclists died.

In 2022, a jury found Zhukovskyy not guilty on seven counts of manslaughter, seven counts of negligent homicide and one count of reckless conduct, all related to the crash. New Hampshire safety officials denied Zhukovskyy’s request to renew his license earlier this year.

“Keeping communities safe takes all forms. In this case, it is about making sure that operators of commercial vehicles adhere to all required safety procedures and regulations. We will not forget the lives lost in June 2019 that relate to this conviction,” Levy said. “This defendant flouted those laws that are critical to public safety, and he jeopardized everyone on the road, with tragic consequences here.”

Dunyadar Gasanov faces up to 24 years in jail and fines of up to $750,000.