We have all seen a truck, but have you noticed a long T-shaped metal bar hanging from the back? These bars are known as under-ride bars and were designed to prevent smaller vehicles from sliding underneath trucks during accidents. You may not know this, but they were designed and installed in trucks after the tragic death of Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield. These bars are sometimes referred to as the “Mansfield bars.”
Vehicle design, especially when it comes to trucks, can play a huge role in causing or preventing an accident. When an accident is caused by design defects or flawed manufacturing, the repercussions can be brutal. In such situations, it’s vital to hold the responsible parties accountable with the help of an experienced attorney like injury lawyer Felix Gonzalez.
In this article, we take a trip down history lane to shed light on how the “Mansfield bars” came into being and their significance.
The Story of Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was an American actress, singer, and nightclub entertainer. Her career in film and television took off in the 50s, and she received a couple of awards and nominations during her lifetime. For instance, in 1956, she received the Theatre World Award for Promising Personality, and in 1957, she won the Golden Globe for New Star Of The Year – Actress.
Her career began taking a wrong turn in the mid-1960s when she was not getting any award-winning roles. She was, at the time, divorcing her second husband, Mickey Hargitay, the father of three of her children, and was dating her divorce lawyer. All these factors, ranging from marital disputes to Hollywood’s lack of interest in her, pushed her to excessive alcohol consumption. She eventually started accepting work that was unsuitable for someone of her caliber.
In 1967, Mansfield traveled to Mississippi for an appearance at the Gus Stevens Supper Club. After the event, she was headed to New Orleans for the WDSU’s Midday Show with three of her children, her attorney, and their driver. Unfortunately, at about 2:25 a.m. on June 29, they crashed at high speed into a trailer that had slowed down on the road.
The three adults died on the spot, but the children sustained minor injuries. Mansfield’s cause of death was determined as a crushed skull with avulsion of the cranium and brain. After the accident, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommended the installation of underride guards on all trucks.
What Are Underride Guards?
As mentioned, underride guards are steel bars beneath a tuck’s cargo area. During crashes, smaller vehicles tend to slide under trucks, and these bars prevent this from happening. The federal government has now mandated that all trucks have these features installed and meet the federal strength and safety standards. Unlike regular vehicles, trucks do not have rear bumpers, which tend to absorb impact during crashes. Since trucks are much taller than average vehicles, vehicle bumpers cannot come into contact, reducing the effect of collision.
If a car rear-ends a trailer, the front could easily slide under the truck, even at low speeds. Therefore, in a rear-end collision, the absence of these bars could lead to increased fatality. Underride accidents are not only caused by rear-end collisions. They could also occur from side-impact collisions and offset crashes when rear-end collisions involve only a section (corner) of the vehicle. Despite the NHTSA’s and federal government’s efforts, underride accidents continue to occur. This is because some trucking companies still ignore this rule while others place guards that do not meet the stated strength and impact regulations.
Conclusion
The death of Jayne Mansfield served as an eye-opener on the faults of existing truck and trailer designs. Trucks at the time did not have underride guards, leading to increased fatalities during collisions. Their presence reduces death rates in truck crashes by preventing smaller vehicles from sliding underneath them. However, even with these guards in place, you might still be injured during an accident. If this happens, ensure you hire a lawyer to help you seek compensation from negligent parties responsible for the accident.