Drivers can encounter any number of hazards. Bad weather can cause road conditions to deteriorate, and animals can unexpectedly dart into a vehicle's path. Obscured vision can also be a challenge.

A Pittsburgh woman says she was blinded by sunlight when her SUV struck a city sanitation worker who was collecting garbage on a recent morning. The car accident left the man in critical condition.

The accident happened in East Liberty last week. Two other sanitation workers had just empted cans into a garbage truck when the 55-year-old man was tossing his trash into the hopper. That's when he was struck by the SUV, which was driven by a 36-year-old woman from Stanton Heights.

The worker, who was wearing reflective coveralls, apparently did not see the SUV coming. A Public Works director says the truck normally can act as a shield to workers, but in this case the man was pinned between the hopper of the truck and the woman's SUV.

He was taken to UPMC Presbyterian and remained in critical condition there. His prognosis was unclear.

It's also not clear if charges were expected, although homicide detectives were investigating, and accident investigators were surveying the scene the day following the accident.

The crash serves as a cautionary tale to drive cautiously if something interrupts your vision and if you are passing a large vehicle. City workers have a right to expect that other drivers will proceed with caution while they are performing their duties.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Woman blames accident on glare," Sadie Gurman, Feb. 6, 2012