NJ driver swerves to avoid birds but kills man on side of road

PENNSVILLE — A driver who swerved his car to avoid hitting two turkey buzzards on a South Jersey roadway struck and killed a man who was securing a backhoe onto a flatbed trailer, authorities said.

The accident in Pennsville occurred shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday, township police said.

The driver, identified only as a 72-year-old Pennsville man, struck Dustin Schmidt, 33, also of Pennsville, police said. The car also hit the trailer before overturning, but the driver wasn't injured.

Schmidt suffered head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

No charges have been filed so far, but authorities said the accident remains under investigation.

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