A trucker responsible for a fatal Pennsylvania truck crash in Lower Merion Township on January 23, 2009, was indicted on Thursday, February 3, on charges of falsifying his driver’s log.
The driver, 57-year-old Valerijs N. Belovs of the 7900 block of Algon Avenue, was found to have made 15 false entries in his driver’s log during a trip through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Investigators found two sets of driving logs – one which contained Belovs’ actual driving hours and another which contained falsified hours. The false log had numerous entries stating that he was resting when, in all actuality, he was operating his tractor-trailer and not observing the rest periods required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Belovs also stated that he was aware that his tractor-trailer had not been inspected, despite a current inspection sticker on the vehicle. He was also aware that the brakes were failing, which led to the fatal Pennsylvania truck crash that killed David Schreffler, a 49-year-old businessman and father of three from Fort Washington.
Belovs pleaded guilty to criminal vehicular homicide in Montgomery County Court in 2009 and served prison time last year for the death of Schreffler. If convicted for falsifying his driver’s logs, Belovs could face additional jail time as well as a fine of $3.75 million.
