On July 5 in the U.S. state of Ohio, a truck driven by an Uzbek national collided with a passenger car, killing the 21-year-old man behind the wheel of the car.
The truck driver has been identified as 42-year-old Bekhzod Asrarov, who arrived in the United States in 2024 through the Diversity Visa Lottery (green card) program. He held a valid license to operate the truck, but because he didn't speak English, he had to communicate with patrol officers using Google Translate.
Asrarov has not been charged in the young man's death at this stage. He is, however, suspected of a crime related to concealing or attempting to destroy physical evidence. The Freightliner truck he was driving struck a Honda Accord, killing 21-year-old Tobias Forsythe at the scene.
Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to the crash. An officer inspecting the truck noticed a dash-cam mount inside the cab — but no camera. When asked where it was, Asrarov indicated he didn't understand English, and officers switched to Google Translate to continue questioning him. He then showed them that he'd stashed the camera in his right pocket.
Asrarov was subsequently charged with tampering with evidence. Three mobile phones and an electronic logging device were also found in his possession. The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may follow.
The young man killed in the crash played goalkeeper for UMass Lowell. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy weighed in on the incident, saying people who don't understand English shouldn't be allowed to drive trucks in the country.
Asrarov's truck struck Forsythe's car on Interstate 71 in Madison County, Ohio, killing him instantly. At the scene, the driver ripped out his dash cam and hid it in his pocket. He had previously failed an English-proficiency test, which is why state troopers had no choice but to communicate with him through Google Translate.
"We cannot allow truck drivers like Asrarov — who can't read our road signs or talk to law enforcement — to operate 80,000-pound rigs, roughly 36 tons, on America's highways," Duffy said.
He added that steps are being taken to get dangerous drivers off the road. Notably, in 2025 an Uzbek national was arrested in Arizona after a crash, found to be driving a truck while holding five separate driver's licenses. That individual had entered the U.S. illegally during the Biden administration and, in 2025, ignored an immigration judge's order to leave the country. Two of his licenses were from New York and three from Ohio.
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