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3 reasons a pickup truck driver may not see a pedestrian

On Behalf of | Oct 10, 2024 | Personal Injury

Many pedestrian accidents happen at crosswalks. Often, drivers in large vehicles, such as pickup trucks, will strike pedestrians and claim after the accident that they “never saw them.” The driver will be just as shocked to have been in the collision as the pedestrian.

From the pedestrian’s perspective, it’s stunning that the driver may not have seen them. They were legally in the crosswalk and fully visible. What are some reasons why this could happen?

The truck is too big

One issue is that the truck itself may be so large that it creates unnecessary blind spots. Many pickup truck drivers can’t see over their own front hood. It is possible that the vehicle design itself was simply blocking the pedestrian from view. 

The driver was distracted

It is also possible that the driver was just distracted at the time. Maybe they looked down at their phone before turning right through the crosswalk. They would have seen the pedestrian if they had been looking at the road, but they weren’t. Distracted driving is dangerous, and far too many drivers check their phones at red lights. 

Intentional blindness

Finally, the human brain processes and sorts out information all day long. Drivers often see the things that they expect to see and overlook things that they are not looking for. This is known as inattentional blindness, and it could be why a driver just does not see a pedestrian – even when they look straight at them.

Those who have suffered serious injuries may deserve compensation for medical bills, lost wages and much more.