Regarding the Nov. 27 story, "Victim ID'd in fatal Sea Isle promenade accident":
The death of Bernice Pasquarello on Nov. 24 is a day that Andrew Mattern, who backed into her while driving a Sea Isle City Public Works truck, will unfortunately have to live with the rest of his life. This was a tragic accident that turned two families' entire worlds upside down in a matter of a minute.
As a tractor-trailer driver by profession, I see many close calls every day behind the wheel. If you can name it, I have probably have seen it. From mothers pushing baby strollers mere feet behind me while I am backing up, or people actually crawling underneath my trailer just to cross a street, it seems pedestrians are in their own world these days and totally oblivious as to what is going on around them.
The utter disregard of the space and time that commercial vehicles need to maneuver and operate is shocking. People casually just assume they are seen and continue to press their luck, whether it be on foot or in another vehicle.
Whenever a truck is involved in an accident, the outcome is almost always magnified and usually unforgiving. A truck driver only has two eyes, but he has countless responsibilities. The "what ifs" in this particular incident could go on and on forever, but sadly nothing can change the outcome.
May only God judge Andrew Mattern, and shame on anyone else who feels it is their right to do so. The living hell that this man is going through right now is incomprehensible, and it is something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. This wasn't an all-too-common drunken-driving accident. It was just your everyday blue-collar man trying to earn a paycheck getting caught in a bad place.
PAUL HOSTER
Egg Harbor City
