Michael Berezin Killed in Truck Accident on West Blvd in Gloucester County, NJ
Gloucester County, NJ -- May 20, 2022, 63-year-old Michael Berezin was killed when his pickup crashed with a dump truck on West Boulevard in Gloucester County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 5:45 p.m. along West Boulevard near Malaga Park Drive. Preliminary investigation suggests Berezin was pulling his pickup truck out of a local Wawa parking lot onto West Boulevard when he collided with a westbound dump truck in the roadway.
Berezin suffered fatal injuries in the crash. No other injuries were reported.
The crash remains under investigation. No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Michael Berezin Accident on West Blvd in Gloucester County
I often mention the importance of keeping an open mind after a crash no matter what early reports may say. Frankly I wouldn't be so wary of those if I hadn't seen them omit crucial details so many times. There are instances where our independent experts look into a crash and only confirm what police originally thought, but we've also seen plenty of cases where their superior training and equipment turned up crucial information that would otherwise have been missed.
For instance, the crash in New Jersey sounds like the victim made an ill-timed turn into the path of a dump truck. That may be true, but it's important to know if there were any other factors that should be accounted for. Is there any trouble with visibility or sightlines in that area? Were both drivers paying careful attention to their surroundings? How fast was the dump truck traveling? Could the trucker have avoided the turning pickup by stopping or steering clear? Was there anything wrong or hazardous about the roads in the area?
Anyone who didn't roll their eyes about the "open mind" part is probably rolling them now as I ask those questions, but the fact is a lot of possible contributing factors probably weren't checked out at all. Police said someone turned in the way of the dump truck, concluded that caused the wreck, and probably won't give it another thought. Many readers probably felt the same way. I don't have inside information to contradict that, but I know from long experience that many crashes aren't as simple as such basic reports make them sound.
A more thorough investigation might just confirm what police said. However, the victim deserves the benefit of the doubt--as does the truck driver--until all the objective facts are in. It's important not to immediately blame anyone before a clearer picture is established. If there are any questions about the "official" story (there often are) the victim's loved ones may be better served by conducting their own investigation with the help of independent experts. At the very least, they deserve to know that no stone was left unturned to bring them the truth.
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