FARGO (AP) - A former federal prosecutor will investigate a stretch of road and what Fargo officials knew about it before a crash that killed an 8-year-old girl last month.

Norm Anderson was a federal prosecutor in North Dakota for more than 20 years. He retired in September 2007. Most recently, he has been working as a temporary administrative law judge for the state.

City officials chose Anderson to lead an independent investigation into what city employees knew about problems on a stretch of South University Drive before the Dec. 10 crash that killed 8-year-old Amanda Leininger of Fargo. She was a passenger in a car that collided with another vehicle.

Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker has said police reports indicate a rut on the edge of the road likely played a role in the crash.

The investigation into the crash is expected to be finished by mid-February.