Man dies in crash on Novi Road

NOVI — A 67-year-old Novi man was killed during the early morning Nov. 16 after he lost control of his vehicle and collided with another on Novi Road, south of Grand River Avenue, police said.

Bernhard Raudszus was traveling northbound on Novi Road, between Gen Mar and Trans X Road, at approximately 6:12 a.m. when he lost control of his blue Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and went into the southbound lane sideways, according to Cmdr. Jason Meier, of the Novi Police Department. The side of Raudszus’ truck then struck the front of a blue Ford Flex being driven by an 80-year-old woman from Commerce Township, Meier said.

Both parties were transported to Ascension Providence Hospital in Novi. Raudszus was pronounced dead upon arrival, and the woman was treated for minor injuries, police said.

Novi Road was closed until 9:10 a.m. while Novi police and accident investigators from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office investigated the scene.

Meier said Raudszus is believed to be at fault, so no charges will derive from the incident. Both vehicles were towed from the scene. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, he said.

“We don’t know if it had anything to do with the roads or if it had anything to do with a medical condition,” Meier said Nov. 16. “We won’t know that until an autopsy is performed.”

The autopsy, performed on Nov. 17, determined that Raudszus died from injuries suffered in the crash. There was no medical emergency and no alcohol involved, Meier said.