In Purvciems, operating a large vehicle, even with a rearview camera, one may not notice what is happening behind the vehicle.
On Tuesday, an elderly woman was run over by a vehicle that arrived at the courtyard of an apartment building to collect garbage. Unfortunately, as a result of the collision, she died, reports the program Degpunktā (TV3).
Police officers cordoned off the area around the garbage truck. Behind the truck, a blue bag covers the deceased elderly woman. She ended up under the wheels of the heavy vehicle that was reversing and passed away. Residents of the building on Stirnu Street, 22, witnessed the incident from their windows.
"I only saw the ambulance arrive. I looked out the window and closed it. A terrible sight," said a local resident.
"I heard a noise when they stopped. I thought something had broken. I looked out the window — they were doing something there… I didn’t see that there was a person lying there. I just watched — they were doing something. Later I looked again — I thought maybe something had fallen out of the garbage," said another resident of Stirnu Street.
Even if the vehicle is equipped with the latest safety systems, this does not relieve the driver of the duty to ensure that there are no people in the path of the vehicle who should not be there, reminds traffic safety expert Oskars Irbitis.
"Industrial work, such as garbage collection, carries certain risks — narrow access roads, difficulties for large vehicles. Therefore, such incidents are certainly possible. Especially, as in this case, with elderly people whose hearing and perception may be worse. Therefore, when performing such work, one must be especially careful. This applies not only to urban transport but also to any vehicle, including passenger cars, when we maneuver in the courtyard, especially when reversing. It is important to remember that there may be children, elderly people, and animals in the courtyard," emphasized Irbitis.
The company Eco Baltia vide explained that the vehicles are equipped with a sound signal to warn those around of the approaching vehicle. The driver reported that he did not notice the woman as she was in the blind spot, however, all circumstances of the incident are currently being investigated in cooperation with the police.
