Wetherill Park truck crash: Leonia Picone’s family reveal how they …
Wetherill Park truck crash: Leonia Picone’s family reveal how they really feel about the truck driver being released without charge – after shocking video emerged
The family of a single mum who was run down and killed by a truck in front of her L-plater son are ‘upset’ and ‘outraged’ after the driver was released without charge.
Leonia Picone, 55, was teaching her son, 17, to drive in Wetherill Park, in Sydney[3]‘s west, at about 6.30am on Wednesday when a truck allegedly bumped her Ford Mondeo.
Video footage showed the moment Ms Picone got out of her car and stood in front of the 2015 Kenworth Prime Mover truck to get the driver’s attention.
Moments later, he accelerated and hit her – in front of her teenage son. Ms Picone could not be saved.
The truck driver, 51, was taken to hospital for testing but was released without charge, pending further police investigation.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, a source close to the family said her loved ones are ‘in shock’.
Ms Picone (pictured) had been teaching her son, 17, how to drive in her Ford Mondeo at Wetherill Park on Wednesday morning
‘And now [there are] no charges, they are even more outraged and upset at how this is possible,’ they said.
Veteran truckie Aaron Farquhar, who has been driving semi-trailers for 13 years, told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday that Ms Picone had unknowingly stood in the driver’s forward-facing blind spot.
‘I can tell you now that he would not have seen her,’ he said.
‘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.’
Mr Farquhar said he had small cars pull up in front of him at traffic lights, but they only reason he knew they were there was due to sensors on the front of his truck – alerting him about potential collisions.
Leonia Picone, 55, is pictured standing in front of a truck, moments before she was hit and killed
Friends and family went to the scene on Wednesday to pay tribute to the single mother following the tragedy
Without such sensors, drivers would have to take their seatbelt off, 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,’ he said.
‘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.’
Following Ms Picone’s death on Wednesday, a crime scene was established which will be examined by specialist officers from the Crash Investigation Unit.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
References
- ^ Charlotte Karp (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ David Southwell For Daily Mail Australia (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Sydney (www.dailymail.co.uk)