Commercial trucks can do a lot of damage, and are no match for a person on foot. This is why trucking accidents involving pedestrians are often fatal. On Nov. 22, an accident involving a garbage truck took the life of an 83-year-old woman on the street where she lived in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.

It is unknown to authorities how the truck driver did not see the woman in his path. It is also a question as to how the woman came to be in the path of the truck in the first place. Investigators have taken measurements at the crash site and are working diligently to solve the mystery.

Authorities have inspected the garbage truck for any mechanical problems that might have caused the accident. Investigators found that the vehicle was in perfect mechanical shape, so a vehicle malfunction was ruled out as the cause.

The driver of the truck submitted blood and urine samples to check for any drugs that might have been in his system at the time of the crash. These toxicology reports will take up to six weeks to complete, authorities said. Officials are also using eye witness reports as a way to discern how the woman came to be in the path of the truck.

The 83-year-old woman was said to be well known in her community and is the wife of a former state senator and judge executive in Kenton County.

Authorities said that they will continue to reconstruct the accident in effort to provide the community with answers. The evidence gathered could also be used in a potential wrongful death lawsuit against the truck driver's employer if any negligence was involved.

Source: News 5 WLWT, "No Mechanical Issues In Fatal Garbage Truck Crash," Nov. 24, 2011.