Truckie reveals why the driver who run over single mum was not …
Leonia Picone: Truckie reveals why the driver of a semi-trailer who ran over over and killed single mum has not been charged by police
The semi trailer driver who ran over and killed a woman standing directly in front his cabin would never have seen her or even known he had hit her, a veteran truckie has revealed.
Leonia Picone, 55, was teaching her 17-year-old son to drive in Wetherill Park, in Sydney[2]‘s west, at about 6.30am on Wednesday when a truck allegedly bumped her Ford Mondeo as the car turned off the main road.
Horror footage shows the moment Ms Picone gets out of her car and stands in front of the 2015 Kenworth Prime Mover truck to get the driver’s attention.
Moment later he accelerates, fatally hitting her while her son watches the ‘freak accident’ unfold.
The driver, whose identity is not known, was questioned by police but subsequently released without charge.
Aaron Farquhar, who has been driving semi trailer trucks for 13 years, told Daily Mail Australia Ms Picone had unwittingly stood in the driver’s forward-facing blind spot.
‘I can tell you now that he would not have seen her,’ he said.
Veteran trucked Aaron Farquhar says the driver would not have been able to see Ms Picone standing directly in front of the cabin
This graphic shows the blindspot areas for a driver of a Kenworth Cabover, where the engine sits below the cabin
Being a driver of heavy vehicles and knowing exactly what it’s like behind the wheel of one of these, I can confidently say that this driver was not at fault’ Truck driver Aaron Farquhar
‘You have to understand that we are very high up and we sit back away from the dash.
‘Someone standing in front of the truck will not be seen and if we hit them, due to all the vibrations and weight of the truck, you wouldn’t even feel it.
‘I’ve had small cars pull in front of me at traffic lights and couldn’t even see them below my bonnet.
‘Only reason I knew they were there was because with my company, we have sensors on the front of our trucks alerting us if a collision is about to happen.’
Mr Farquhar, who lives in the western Sydney suburb of Glenmore, said without such sensors drivers have to take off their seatbelt, stand up and push their faces against the glass to see what is directly in front of the truck.
‘This was an absolute freak accident and the driver will be suffering immensely due to what has happened.
‘The woman was not educated on what and how trucks work and our line of sight and due to that, she made a very fatal decision on this.
‘Being a driver of heavy vehicles and knowing exactly what it’s like behind the wheel of one of these, I can confidently say that this driver was not at fault.’
Mr Farquhar explained the make of truck involved was a Kenworth Cabover, which means the cab is over the engine.
‘Imagine him (the driver) sitting back behind the dash, he wouldn’t see her down there at all,’ Mr Farquhar said.
Ms Picone (pictured) had been teaching her son, 17, how to drive in her Ford Mondeo
Leonia Picone, 55, is pictured standing in front of a truck, moments before she was hit and killed
This Monash University graphic shows the large blindspot areas for a driver in a semi trailer
Road safety expert Jerome Carslake also believes the driver was unsighted.
‘The driver’s sitting up high, they’re sitting away. And if you’re directly in front of a truck, the driver will not be able to see you,’ he told Seven’s Sunrise on Thursday.
‘A lot of cars, people pull in front (of the truck) and think they can.’
After Ms Picone was hit paramedics tried to revive her but she died at the scene.
The truck driver, 51, was taken to Liverpool Hospital for mandatory drug and alcohol testing.
He was also questioned by police, but was released without charge.
‘The driver has been released pending further investigations,’ a NSW Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Picone’s son was treated for shock, but was otherwise uninjured.
‘It’s absolutely horrendous for the family,’ NSW Police Inspector Josh Dixon said.
Friends and family went to the scene on Wednesday to pay tribute to the single mother following the tragedy
Leonia Picone (right) was teaching her 17-year-old son to drive in Wetherill Park
‘The pedestrian was on the road attempting to get the attention of the driver of that vehicle.’
Later on Wednesday, Ms Picone’s family gathered at the scene to pay tribute.
A crime scene has been established which will be examined by specialist officers from the Crash Investigation Unit.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
References
- ^ David Southwell For Daily Mail Australia (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Sydney (www.dailymail.co.uk)