A police officer and mother has been killed in an horrific crash on Christmas Eve after a sewage tanker rammed into the back of her cruiser.

Detective Deidre Mengedoht, 32, was carrying out a traffic stop in Louisville, Kentucky, when the tanker ran into the back of her vehicle.

Tanker driver Roger Burdette, 60, has since been arrested and charged with murder of a police officer and driving under the influence.

Detective Deidre Mengedoht, 32, died on Monday after her police cruiser was hit by a sewage truck being driven by Roger Burdette, 60, who is now charged with her murder and DUI

Mengedoht, who had been in the service for seven and a half years, leaves behind a young son, WRDB reported.

Burdette admitted to taking prescription medication, according to an arrest citation seen by the Louisville Courier-Journal.

He failed balance and heel-to-toe tests and evidence from the scene shows he 'made no attempt to avoid collision with the police cruiser'.

Blood samples were taken for testing but results have not come back yet.

Mengedoht, who was known to her colleagues as 'Dee Dee', had pulled over a pickup driver on Insterstate 64 around 2pm Monday when the crash happened.

Her cruiser was parked in the inside lane with its lights on behind a pickup truck when the tanker hit her from behind.

Images from WLKY show the truck pulled over at the side of the road with its front fender caved in.

Mengedoht had stopped a pickup truck when the tanker hit her from behind, pushing her car into the back of the pickup and causing 'catastrophic' damage before it burst into flames

Arrest reports show that Burdette made no attempt to avoid the cruiser, which was parked in the inside lane with its lights on

The cruiser was shunted forward into the back of the pickup causing 'catastrophic' damage, before bursting into flames.

Police Chief Steve Conrad said none of the four passengers inside the pickup were injured. He was unable to say what the original traffic stop was for.

Jimmy Harper, the former commander of the division, praised Mengedoht as an outstanding officer 'who really got what it meant to serve in a higher risk community.'

'She had gained a lot of respect in her short career. Some of the bad guys liked to call her Blondie as a sign of appreciation because they liked her so much,' he said.

The Interstate was closed for nine hours in both directions after the crash.