By Tom Fontaine

Published: Wednesday, November 28, 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Updated: Thursday, November 29, 2012

A California truck driver charged with vehicular homicide for a crash that killed two women in Washington County said Wednesday that the mishap occurred when his “brain shut off.”

Yevgeniy Bugreyev, 41, of West Sacramento will stand trial on 13 charges, including two counts each of homicide by vehicle and aggravated assault by vehicle and single counts of speeding and operating a vehicle with hazardous brakes. He remained in Washington County Correctional Facility on $1 million bond.

Karen Babka, 57, and her daughter Kaitlin Babka, 21, both of Hughesville, Md., died after Bugreyev's tractor-trailer veered into oncoming traffic and struck a car driven by the elder Babka. An SUV also crashed, resulting in four injuries.

The Babkas will be buried Monday in Colerain, Ohio, about 75 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.

Tom Fontaine is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7847 or tfontaine@tribweb.com.

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