Family, friends raising money for trucker killed on US-70 in Clayton

Family and friends of a truck driver killed on US-70 Monday, March, 13, are raising money for his family.

A GoFundMe was organized by friends of Yurii Vakhniak. The GoFundMe was created to help get Vakhniak's wife, Ivanka, and their two children, Anastasia and Vova, money he was unable to leave behind.

"The goal is to make his family as comfortable as possible," said his friend Alex Bloom.

According to the GoFundMe, Vakhniak came to the United States as a result of the war in Ukraine to make a better life for himself and his family. He was also starting to build his business and was investing in it, which resulted in very little money being left for his family.

Bloom said what he will miss most about Vakhniak is his work ethic.

"[He's a] super hard worker and he was going to grow," Bloom said. "His journey got cut short."

Vakhniak was loading cars for transport to Tennessee from Frontline Motors in Clayton, when he was struck and killed by an driver.

The accident shut down traffic on the road for hours, as police attempted to clear the scene and investigate what happened.

Seydina Ndiaye, 26, is charged in Vakhniak's death with felony death by motor vehicle. He is believed to have been impaired, his third DWI charge in the course of a year.