The release of an accident report is shedding light on an incident Tuesday morning in which a pedestrian was struck at Pinellas Plaza.
Amber Rebecca Hackett, 27, of Wildwood, had been heading east at 8:05 a.m. in a 2009 Chevy utility vehicle when she was blinded by the sun and her vehicle struck a landscaper, 33-year-old Antonio Jose Montoya of Plant City, who had been walking backward as he was operating a leaf blower in the lane in front of Winn-Dixie, according to an accident report from the Wildwood Police Department. Hackett said she had tried to swerve to avoid the collision, but heard a “thump” on the passenger side of her vehicle. The collision knocked Antonio to the ground. Montoya had been wearing a reflective safety vest.
He was transported by ambulance to Leesburg Regional Medical Center with complaints of back and leg pain.
Hackett and a passenger, 28-year-old Sean Joseph Hackett of Wildwood, were not injured.
