A commercial truck driver from Uzbekistan, who was allowed to enter the United States through a diversity lottery while former President Joe Biden was in office, killed a college soccer goalie in the state of Ohio over the weekend and could only communicate with law enforcement officers at the scene using Google Translate. Bekhzod Asrarov, 42, slammed into the back of a vehicle while driving on Interstate 71 in Madison County.
The accident killed Tobias “Toby” Forsythe, 21, who played as a goalkeeper for the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, according to information gathered by Fox News Digital. When Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers arrived at the scene of the tragic accident, Asrarov, who holds a commercial driver’s license (CDL) from Ohio, attempted to rip off the camera on his dashboard and destroy it, along with three phones and his logging device.
“We cannot let truckers like Asrarov, who can’t read our road signs or speak to law enforcement, drive 80,000-pound rigs on America’s highways,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X. Forsythe, an economics major, joined the UMass Lowell River Hawks in 2026 after previously playing for Ashland University for two years and Shawnee State, where he was the starting goalkeeper for all 17 games during the 2025 season.
“Our entire athletics department is heartbroken by Toby’s passing,” UMass Lowell athletic director Lynn Coutts said in a statement, according to Fox News. “Although Toby’s time as a River Hawk was cut far too short, he left a meaningful impact and will always be remembered as a cherished member of our UMass Lowell family.”
UMass Lowell head coach Kyle Zenoni commented on Forsythe’s passing, stating that he was present every day to compete and worked hard to improve his skills as a player, never seeking to take the easy way out. “He never looked for shortcuts and never expected anything to be given to him – he simply wanted the opportunity to earn it,” Zenoni remarked.
“Our hearts are with Toby’s family, friends, teammates and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. We will forever be grateful that Toby was part of our River Hawk family and we will honor his memory by carrying forward the example he set,” the head coach added. The Trump administration has increased its efforts to revoke the CDLs of immigrant truck drivers who are not able to speak English proficiently.
A Haitian national who law enforcement officials say remained in the United States despite receiving orders to leave was recently charged in the death of a Pennsylvania State Police trooper who was conducting a commercial vehicle inspection along Interstate 81 just a week ago. The Fox comment section was largely supportive of the administration’s work to prevent these kinds of tragedies from happening.
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“Vetting immigrants for traits like wanting to assimilate and cherish the country is necessary. Sovereignty of the country depends on it. Immigrants such as this should never have been allowed into the country,” one individual wrote. “Americans need to be continually reminded of the consequences of the Democrat’s open borders and sanctuary policies. Americans will be suffering due to those policies for decades to come,” another said.
Watch Secretary Duffy comment on the important English language rules for truckers here: