Mansfield’s fatal car crash created real change
Image credit: The Wayward Bus
Mansfield was 34-years-old when she tragically passed away. She was traveling to New Orleans, Louisiana for a morning TV interview after performing in a Mississippi nightclub. The star had her three children in the back of the car when it rounded a curve and went under a tractor-trailer at around 2 a.m. The truck was allegedly obscured by pesticide spray and all three of the passengers in the front seat died. Her children survived the crash.
The incident was so tragic that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration created new regulations. Tractor-trailers are now required to have a rear under guard so smaller cars can’t slide underneath if they crash.
