Zhukovskyy trial continues into second week with testimony from Agawam firefighter

RANDOPLH, N.H. (WGGB/WSHM) - Western Mass News has learned new information about the West Springfield man accused of crashing into and killing seven motorcyclists in New Hampshire three years ago.

The second week of Volodymyr Zhukovskyy’s trial began Monday with an Agawam firefighter and paramedic taking the stand.

Paul Novinsky of the Agawam Fire Department revealed that he helped revive Volodymyr Zhukovskyy from a heroin overdose, just one month before that deadly crash in New Hampshire.

The 26-year-old faces multiple charges, including negligent homicide and manslaughter for his alleged role in a 2019 crash that killed seven motorcyclists and injured several others in Randolph, New Hampshire.

Zhukovskyy is accused of being under the influence of drugs while driving his truck and flatbed trailer that day.

A longtime Agawam firefighter and paramedic, Paul Novinsky answered questions on Monday from the prosecution about his use of the drug Narcan on the job.

Prosecutor: “In all those times that you used Narcan, what was the situation?”

Paul Novinsky: “Any time we’ve had someone that has pinpoint pupils, they’re unresponsive, lack of breathing, if we’ve noted that there’s paraphernalia on scene that, you know, indicates they have in fact consumed an opiate, that’s any time we would be indicated to use it.”

He was asked about a more specific incident when, on May 5th of 2019, Novinsky was called to Pynchon Park in Agawam.

“When we arrived, we found a male party unresponsive, not breathing at all,” Novinsky said. “Agawam Police, prior to our arrival, who also carries Narcan, they carry it to be used intranasally, had administered 4 mg of Narcan to the patient before we got there.”

He said that the patient, later identified as Zhukovskyy, was lying unresponsive on his back by the woodline where the trailhead meets.

Prosecutor: “What else did you notice about him?”

Novinsky: “Blue around his lips and his face, his pupils were pinpoint. He was unresponsive to even verbal stimuli at that time.”

Novinsky said that he and his partner began bag valve mask breathing and gave Zhukovskyy 2 mg of Narcan through an IV.

“He pretty promptly woke up, began breathing on his own,” Novinsky recalled. “His color improved, and began holding conversation.”

In his report from that day, Novinsky noted that Zhukovskyy had admitted to snorting 3 bags of heroin, and they had a conversation in the back of an ambulance regarding his commercial drivers license.

“He had mentioned that he wanted to be sure that he still had his license, and he expressed concern that he would lose it,” Novinsky said. “He did state to me that he drives trucks and he was very concerned about that, and I told him and reassured him, we had his license and the police had not, had done nothing more with him. They released him to us.”

Zhukovskyy also had an out of state drunk driving charge at the time of the crash. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles acknowledged that that should have prevented him from driving that June day, but due to a backlog in cases at the RMV, his license was not revoked.

The trial is expected to continue until the middle of this month with more than 100 witnesses set to be called in all.

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