The Malarczyk Family
Ryszard and Anita Malarczyk
About Ryszard and Anita
Anita and Ryszard both immigrated to America seeking a new life. Ryszard was a skilled tradesman and Anita was a nurse by training. When they came to the States, they formed a successful contracting business. They loved spending time with their kids, Peter, Monica, and Natalia. Once the kids got older, skiing became a weekend tradition, where they normally drove up to Killington, Vermont.
Crash Description
On December 29, 2015, the Malarczyk family headed home from a family ski trip in Killington, Vermont. Just after the family had started their drive back to New York, a truck, operated by an inexperienced driver, crossed into westbound traffic, as she was scared that the truck would fall off the cliff in the snowy conditions. As the family came around a bend, Ryszard noticed the truck and made an evasive right turn to try and avoid the truck. The truck driver made a left turn trying to avoid the Malarczyk’s vehicle, which only exacerbated the impact. Peter, Monica, and Natalie survived the crash with serious injuries, but their parents, Ryszard and Anita Malarczyk, and family friend, Jarsoslaw Karczewski, were killed.
Life After the Crash
After the crash, Peter remembers being inundated by bills and mail addressed to his parents that he had no idea how to pay or process. The Malarczyk children, only a few months after the crash, were receiving foreclosure warnings and eviction notices. All of this fell on Peter’s shoulder as his sisters recuperated. Monica underwent inpatient therapy for three months as a result of multiple surgeries, and Natalie, who was in high school at the time, suffered serious back and neck injuries. To make matters worse, Peter was unable to work due to the injuries that he sustained in the crash. All of this was incredible mentally straining and stressful for Peter.
Peter and Monica have since become active advocates to make trucking safer. Peter is a founding board member of the Institute for Safer Trucking and has been a leading voice for improved entry-level driver training for truck drivers to help prevent what happened to his family. He also earned a Master's degree in real estate from NYU, and now runs his own business. While Monica sustained serious injuries that continue to affect her mobility, she has not let her crash hold her back. She is pursuing her passion for cooking and has a burgeoning social media presence to showcase her delicious meals. The Malarczyk family’s story represents just one of many crashes that could have been prevented.