Fumbling for dropped documents turned Nov. 10, 2011, from a normal workday into the worst workday ever for a semi-truck driver, and it also turned into the last ever for a roadside construction worker.

The fatal accident happened on an Ohio stretch of I-77 undergoing a lane addition scheduled for completion at the month's end. No alcohol is believed involved in this truck accident, though the driver was routinely given a blood alcohol test at the scene.

While no criminal charges were filed at the time of media reports were made about the accident, the cause of the truck accident might so qualify. According to news reports, the semi-truck driver told authorities that he had dropped some papers and leaned over to pick them up. After that, he went off the right side of the road. The semi struck the victim, a construction worker. This propelled the victim hard enough that he not only struck one of his company's vehicles, but also continued for another 30 to 40 feet. He was believed already dead when he stopped.

The semi-truck driver pulled over immediately and cooperated with authorities. They did confiscate his cell phone to confirm his claim that he was not texting or making a call when the accident happened. Though using phones while driving is the behavior most often associated with distracted driving, anything that draws a driver's attention away from the road may sometimes qualify. It is especially important that professional drivers of large vehicles keep their minds on the road. The load heavy trucks carry creates so much momentum that even normal reaction times can turn sudden responses into disastrous accidents.

Source: Fox8.com, "Construction Worker Killed in Accident Along I-77," Dan Jovic, Nov. 10, 2011