New Jersey grandfather injured in dump truck crash is grateful to be alive, family says

CBS News

29-05-2025

Grandfather injured in New Jersey dump truck crash is grateful to be alive, family says
Grandfather injured in New Jersey dump truck crash is grateful to be alive, family says
Grandfather injured in New Jersey dump truck crash is grateful to be alive, family says
A grandfather remains hospitalized a week after a dump truck demolished his home in Woodbury Heights, New Jersey.
The crash was captured on dashcam video as the driver suffered a medical emergency.
"Just seeing it for the first time was heart-shattering, I mean it felt like my world stopped moving," Kera McKnight said.
McKnight rushed to her grandfather's home after learning about the crash. All she knew was that an out-of-control dump truck smashed into his home.
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"It was the scariest 10 minutes of my life because at that point, none of us knew what to expect driving up to that," McKnight said. "He is grateful to be alive."
Nick Matteo, who is 72, was sitting in his favorite chair in the living room last Tuesday afternoon when the crash happened. His granddaughters say he remembers hearing a noise and then the truck blasted through.
"It blew him through two walls. He went through the one wall behind him and landed in the bedroom kind of hanging out of the house, and he was upside down between the dresser and the bed," said Shelby Zakreski, Matteo's granddaughter.
Neighbors ran to help Matteo, and first responders were able to pull him to safety.
Miraculously, he only suffered some scratches and bumps and bruises.
"We're very lucky that he had a guardian angel really surrounding him, which we truly believe was our grandmother," Zakreski said.
Matteo's wife died in 2022. Zakreski is thankful the urn filled with her grandmother's ashes was found in the rubble. She said it's all they have left after decades worth of memories were wiped away when their grandfather's home was demolished hours after the crash.
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"It was definitely emotional," Zakreski said. "All the pictures, our bedroom, like we grew up and had our own bedroom there with the cloud ceiling my grandmom hand painted."
A week later, the mountain of debris is gone, and Matteo's property has been completely cleared.
Now, many of his neighbors, even complete strangers, are stepping up to help him recover. Zakreski has since started a fundraising campaign, which has raised nearly $14,000.
"Above all he is just so grateful for the amount of donations that have come through and the amount of well wishes that have come through," Zakreski said.
The driver who suffered a medical emergency before the crash also miraculously survived. He has been released from the hospital and is back home recovering.