Payette involved in fatal collision in 2011

Reporters are learning yet more about the rough patches Canada's newly-named Governor General has lived through in recent years.  

Earlier this week, we heard that astronaut and scientist Julie Payette had been arrested in 2012 in Maryland, where she was living at the time.  She was picked up after a domestic dispute but two weeks later, prosecutors decided not to pursue charges.  

Now the Toronto Star is reporting that a year before, as she was driving home one day, Payette struck and killed a pedestrian.  

Payette was proceeding on a green light and the woman appeared suddenly in front of her, crossing the street illegally.  

After eight months' of investigation, police closed the case.  

Speeding and cellphone use were ruled out during the investigation. The family of the pedestrian admitted that the 55-year old had poor eyesight, and may not have realized it wasn't safe to step out into the street.

The Star reports that Payette later wrote to relatives of the pedestrian, expressing her dismay about what had happened and saying it would stay with her forever.