AUGUSTA – A trucker from Caribou whose rig was involved in a collision that took the life of a 40-year-old Scarborough woman is offering an apology to her family, saying he would rather have died in last Friday’s crash.

Meanwhile, Gov. John Baldacci has ordered three top officials who administer highway and motor vehicle laws to review last Friday’s accident and make recommendations on how to prevent similar ones in the future.

Tina Turcotte died of injuries from the wreck along the Maine Turnpike in Hallowell. She had allowed a tractor to pass in front of her where the lanes merge near a construction site when the rear of her car was struck by a tractor-trailer, pushing Turcotte’s car under the first truck.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Scott Hewitt, told the Portland Press Herald that the accident happened so quickly that he is not sure of the details.

“All I know is I hit her and killed her, and I am very sorry,” the 32-year-old Hewitt said. “I’d rather be dead than her.”

Hewitt also said he didn’t know that he was driving with a suspended license at the time of the crash because he never received notification from the state.

Hewitt denied he did anything wrong, saying the construction warning signs were placed so close to the zone that he didn’t have enough time to slow down. But he said his days as a truck driver are over.

Speaking from his home, Hewitt said that even before the accident, he and his wife had decided that Friday’s trip to Portland in which he dropped off a load of broccoli was going to be his last run.

“I will not drive a tractor trailer again in my life,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt’s driving record includes at least 42 convictions for driving offenses, including offenses related to a fatal accident 11 years ago, and 19 license suspensions. He was driving with a suspended license at the time of the crash.

The crash remains under investigation and authorities have not yet determined what charges if any they may bring against Hewitt.

He was arrested at the scene for driving with a suspended license and released from Kennebec County Jail later Friday on $1,000 bail.

Hewitt is an independent contractor who owns his own truck. His wife was in the passenger seat at the time of the accident. Tracy Hewitt suffered a head cut in the accident.

Baldacci issued a statement Wednesday saying the accident “should serve as a wake-up call to anyone driving with a suspended license – commercial and noncommercial alike.”

The governor said independent truckers “need to understand that Maine has a reputation for strong enforcement of commercial drivers.”

Baldacci said he asked Col. Craig Poulin, who heads the state police, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap and Transportation Commissioner David Cole to form a working group to conduct a detailed review of the accident. He said its recommendations would be forwarded to the Legislature.

“This has my full attention,” Baldacci said.