[Yahoshua]

That very well could be. And it also depends on the type of bulb used to light the street.

The standard bright yellow bulbs blind me when I drive at night sometimes, so I drive slower to make sure I'm even in the right lane. The newer more red-lights are brighter and aren't as hard on my eyes at all.

It's possible that the streetlight could've blinded her or, if Scandium were on the edges of the light placement, she couldn't have seen Scandium due to a "Gray Zone" where the transition between night/light vision balance for the eyes is present and prevents the eye from picking out details in that area.

To give an example, if you're next to a yellow-bulb streetlamp and you try to look at things in the dark from the light, you can't because your eyes are light acclimated. Conversely, when you look from the dark to the light, you can percieve most of the surrounding area (no real visible details other than broad shapes depending on the moonlight), and you can see objects clearly illuminated from the light. But how well are you able to spot a moving object only on the fringes of the light? Or for that matter, clothes that will absorb yellow light will actually help to conceal a person, because the clothes take on the look of the street light on the pavement.

This is the "Gray area" of nightvision vs yellow-bulb streetlights.

Now time to complicate things: Move from one light to another (light to dark), and try to pick out a vague object on the fringe of the light before you arrive to the light itself (dark to light tansition). Depending on how bright the light is, and how fast you are moving, you will pick up a moving object when moving slowly. But if you're moving really fast, then the constant strain on your eyes of light to dark to light again transition will only allow you to see the extremes of the spectrum. Either you see it or you don't.

So most likely, the girl was driving too fast, and the light transitions blinded her to seeing objects on the fringe of the light. And by the time she starts noticing a moving object, this nearly camouflaged persons' clothing is complicating the sight picture she has. Then she hears a *thump* from the vehicle. And that my friend, is more than likely what happened.