Pedestrian dies in Davis Island crash involving city garbage truck

TAMPA (FOX 13) -  A 65-year-old woman died after being hit by a city of Tampa garbage truck Tuesday morning.

City officials say the woman was walking along Aegean Drive and Davis Boulevard in the Davis Islands area around 9 a.m. when she was hit. 

The woman, Marcia Woodside Rivers, was a retired Hillsborough County school teacher. Police say she lived just steps from where she died. 

Rivers most recently worked at Memorial Elementary School.

Police say their initial investigation shows Rivers was hit when the truck backed out of a driveway between buildings.

Witnesses say the driver, a 49-year-old, was shaken when he discovered what had happened.

“We first saw the driver freaking out. We thought he’d had a heart attack. Then we saw the lady,” said Lewis Harris who was on his way to work.

The busy main street in one of Tampa’s most upscale neighborhoods. Island resident Ed Moore says he has urged the city to make similar improvements to this stretch of road as it has done on Bayshore Boulevard.

“The next stretch of road for something to happen is Davis Boulevard. It’s not just passers-through, it’s residents, this is a very dense stretch of the island,” Moore told FOX 13 News.

A city official told FOX 13 News that garbage trucks must either have a backup alarm or the driver must blow his horn when he's backing up.

They have not determined if an alarm or horn was used in this incident.

Police also could not say if Rivers was wearing earbuds or headphones that may have prevented her from hearing the truck.