FARMINGTON — A pedestrian talking on her cell phone was struck by a turning pickup truck in the center of downtown Farmington on Friday morning.

Jillian Benson, 19, of Farmington was injured after stepping out into the street to cross Broadway in front of TD Bank. She was approximately 10 feet east of the crosswalk when she stepped from the sidewalk and into the path of the truck.

Blaine Blodgett, 49, of Norridgewock was making a left turn from Main Street onto Broadway when his 2004 Chevrolet pickup struck the girl at about 9:45 a.m. Blodgett was turning on a green light, according to Farmington police Officer Matthew Hunt's report.

Ron Gelinas of Mainestone Jewelry, a shop near the scene, said he didn't see the accident happen but was outside the shop and was one of the first to reach Benson's side. He kept her talking as they waited for police and a NorthStar ambulance to arrive, he said.

Benson, a student at the University of Maine at Farmington, was still being treated at midafternoon at Franklin Memorial Hospital, according to a hospital representative.

Police interviewed other pedestrians at the scene but were not finding anyone who saw the incident happen.

Hunt spoke to Benson at the hospital, and she told him that she was talking on her cell phone at the time, said Farmington police secretary Bonnie Pomeroy.

abryant@sunjournal.com