Auto-Pedestrian Accident Leaves Victim in Critical Condition
In Tremonton, UT, a 58-year-old woman was left in critical condition after she was struck by a vehicle crossing the roadway. The woman was walking across the street with her 16-year-old son at the time of the accident and the vehicle driven by a 44-year-old man struck her. The driver was cited for failure to yield following the accident.
There is no report whether or not the 16-year-old was injured in the incident. The driver is blaming the accident on the light from the setting sun in his eyes at the time. This is the second accident in two weeks, the first involving an 8-year-old girl who was thrown 40 feet. In that accident the girl did not suffer any serious injuries.
It is possible that the sunlight from the setting sun played a part in this accident. There are many instances when drivers are driving against the sunlight and have their vision obstructed because of the light. The sunlight often distorts the driver’s vision and causes them to collide with another vehicle in front of them or serve into opposing lanes of traffic in order to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of them. Although the front visors in vehicles do provide some measure of protection against sunlight while driving, they may not always been enough and the driver’s vision could still be obstructed. This is especially true if the sun is setting lower than the visor covers.
Still, if an investigation shows that the driver was at fault for the accident and there were no external forces that could be factored into the accident, the driver could be held liable for his actions. If the driver is at fault, the victim’s health and personal well-being need to be taken into account and her family could contact an attorney to help them get compensation on behalf of their loved one. The same is true for the 8-year-old girl that was injured in a similar accident. Although her injuries were not severe, there is still a chance they could have been and she could have lost her life after being thrown 40 feet away from the scene of the accident.
