Many pedestrian accidents happen because drivers simply don’t see the pedestrians. This could occur if the driver is distracted and looking down at their phone, for instance, or if they’re paying such careful attention to the other cars on the road that they forget to look at the crosswalk or the sidewalk.
But one other way that this can happen is due to the design of the vehicle itself. On the side of the front windshield, you have two pillars that hold up the roof. The roof itself isn’t very heavy, but these pillars need to be exceptionally strong because they must protect the passenger compartment if the car is involved in a rollover accident. This means that these pillars are also often very wide, and they’re covered in padding and other materials for aesthetic reasons, making them even wider still.
These pillars can block a driver’s view
Clearly, these pillars are a necessary part of the vehicle and they keep the people inside safe, but the issue is that they can also block the driver’s view. That driver has a major blind spot off of both their left and right corner.
One of the biggest problems with this blind spot is that it can completely cover up a person who is in a crosswalk as a driver attempts to turn. When turning either left or right, there’s always a chance that a pedestrian has the walk symbol at the same time that the driver is going to make their maneuver. If the driver can’t see the pedestrian because they’re behind the A-pillar, they may not swing into view until a collision has occurred.
If you have been hit by a driver while running or walking, and you’ve suffered severe injuries, you may be eligible for financial compensation.
