A truck accident in the Pittsburgh area has claimed the life of a 28-year-old woman. The fatal incident occurred earlier this week in Butler County at the intersection of Route 68 with Route 268.

According to police officers who responded to the accident scene, the collision occurred when the 29-year-old driver of the tractor-trailer did not stop at a posted stop sign. This failure to observe the traffic sign apparently caused the truck to hit the other vehicle. The force of the impact resulted in injuries to the woman that led to her death.

The deceased woman was not the only occupant of the vehicle the truck hit. She had a 2-year-old boy riding with her when the accident occurred. Though his condition is not known, the toddler was transported via helicopter to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

It is not clear what caused the man driving the truck, who was uninjured in the crash, to ignore the stop sign. While at this point one can only speculate as to the possible reasons it will mostly likely be determined in the investigations that will surely follow. While police investigations are common in motor vehicle accident situations to determine if criminal charges are appropriate, this could just be the beginning for the truck driver.

The trucking industry is highly regulated. When a truck accident occurs a thorough review of the incident to determine if safety regulations were violated is usually launched. If it is found that any of these regulations were violated the truck driver and possibly the company the trucker was driving for could be found liable for the resulting damage.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Woman killed in Butler tractor-trailer crash," Oct. 11, 2012