Englewood Man Killed in Backhoe Accident in Paramus, NJ
Paramus, NJ -- July 9, 2022, one person was killed due to an accident where a vehicle crashed with a backhoe on Forest Avenue.
Investigators reported that the crash took place just after 5:00 a.m. along Forest Avenue near the intersection of Spring Valley Road.
According to officials, a 78-year-old Englewood man was in a pickup traveling northbound on Forest. From oncoming lanes, reports indicate a backhoe swerved to avoid a deer. When it did so, a portion of the backhoe entered northbound lanes, and the Englewood man's vehicle crashed into the backhoe.
Due to the collision, the Englewood man succumbed to fatal injuries. No other details are available at this time.
Commentary on Englewood Man Backhoe Accident on Forest Avenue in Paramus
When folks read about a crash involving an animal that suddenly dashes into the road, their instinct is likely to see everything as an unavoidable tragedy. That could certainly be true. I wouldn't jump to any conclusions without knowing all the facts. But one thing investigators need to consider here is whether or not the backhoe driver's actions were reasonably prudent.
While the best option no doubt would have been for the backhoe to simply hit the deer, sad as it sounds, it's understandable why someone would swerve to avoid it. That's not much time to react, after all. But is swerving to the left toward oncoming traffic really the best option? Off to the right, the vehicle isn't likely to hit anyone. To the left, a devastating accident can occur, as we see here. Perhaps the circumstances were such that this all really was unavoidable, but I can't help wondering if a reasonably prudent driver in the same situation could have made it out of this without anyone getting killed.
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