All posts by Marianne

What is wrong with this analysis of a fatal truck crash?

Truck Safety

On July 27, 2017, three teens were killed when their car went under a truck in the state of Washington.  A report was published last week with a detective’s analysis of what led to their deaths. His conclusion bothered me because it represents the common misunderstanding of what causes people to die in truck crashes.

See if you can figure out what is missing in his analysis of this horrific truck crash.

Read the report from the lead detective below:

“There are several key factors involved in this collision that resulted in the death of three teenagers. . . Given the estimated speed of the driver’s vehicle it is unknown whether or not the rear bumper would have been able to withstand the impact to prevent an under-ride of the semi-trailer.

Driver had THC in system when car slammed into parked semi, killing 3 teens

 

 

When I see underride tragedies which involve a parked truck, I often wonder if the car driver was confused by the truck’s location and made the unconscious assumption that the road went that way and they would be following another vehicle in front of them by steering their car in that direction. This study/article addresses the visual challenges involved in split-second driving decisions: http://www.visualexpert.com/Resources/underride.html

Even if the car was going 35 mph and there had been a rear underride guard (designed to meet the current federal standard), the car would have gone under the truck. And in another crash earlier that year, a man rear-ended a truck which had an improved rear underride guard at perhaps 50 mph and survived!

In Memory of Randall Searcy

Underride Crash Map, ,

UPDATE March 13, 2026: Hundreds of people die every year when pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of passenger vehicles go under trucks. Please consider joining a STOP Underrides National Town Hall via Zoom April 15 | 8 – 9 pm ET |RSVP HERE. 

Your voice at this unique advocacy gathering will let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that you want them to pass the STOP Underrides Act of 2026.

A Lennox van driver has died after rear-ending a semitruck in Salt Lake City Monday afternoon.

Police responded to the incident around 1 p.m. at 900 W. 2100 South, Salt Lake Police Sgt. Brandon Shearer said. The semitruck had stopped at a traffic light when the van collided with it.

The van driver, identified as 46-year-old Randall Searcy, died of his injuries shortly before 7 p.m., Salt Lake City police officials said in a tweet.

Photos from the scene showed the van had crashed into the semitrailer’s rear right corner, smashing through the van windshield and driver’s side door. Van driver dies after rear-ending semitruck

See more underride tragedies at Underride Crash Memorials and on our Interactive Underride Crash Map. To add more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to this map, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com; use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form.

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

AnnaLeah & Mary: With Their Sister’s Wedding Dress, Allison’s Angel Gowns Sewed A Dress For A Baby Who Never Made It Home

AnnaLeah and Mary, ,

Allison’s Angel Gowns takes donated wedding dresses and creates outfits for babies who don’t go home from the hospital. I just received a message that Deb has taken the wedding dress which I sewed for Rebekah Karth Chojnacki in 2013 and made this beautiful little dress.

This is the message which the seamstress sent to me:

I’m sorry to be invading your FB page but I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to create angel gowns in honor of your beautiful daughters. I need to apologize for the delay, You see, your dress touched me in ways I never expected. I know the pain of losing adult children and I had a hard time getting past my own grief when I worked with your dress which was the very reason I jumped at the chance to sew for you. I think of you every time I sit at my machine. I wish you and your family peace Friend of the heart, Deb

Here’s the full story: A Story of Four Sisters & A Wedding Dress; Bittersweet Memories Transformed Into a Gift of Comfort

My heart is overflowing. 

In Memory of Jillianne Klinger

Underride Crash Map,

UPDATE March 13, 2026: Hundreds of people die every year when pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of passenger vehicles go under trucks. Please consider joining a STOP Underrides National Town Hall via Zoom April 15 | 8 – 9 pm ET |RSVP HERE. 

Your voice at this unique advocacy gathering will let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that you want them to pass the STOP Underrides Act of 2026.

Visitation for Jillianne Klinger will be Friday, March 25, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Grace Fellowship.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held Saturday, March 26, 2 p.m., at Grace Fellowship.
Ms. Klinger was involved in an accident near Mobile earlier this week.

She is survived by her mother, Theresa Scott.

The family appreciates your prayers. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/159991822

See more underride tragedies at Underride Crash Memorials and on our Interactive Underride Crash Map. To add more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to this map, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com; use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form.

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

Families of Underride Victims Unite to Support Development of a TrailerGuard System To Save Others

Truck Safety, ,

Aaron Kiefer, a crash reconstructionist, has been working for almost three years now to design and crash test a TrailerGuard System to prevent cars from sliding under trucks. The project is currently at a stage where he needs to move beyond a simple prototype to begin manufacture of a product which can be installed on a set of trucks to demonstrate its practicality.

In 2015, Aaron reached out to the Karth family, who lost two daughters, AnnaLeah (17) and Mary (13), due to a truck underride crash. They had set up a non-profit organization — AnnaLeah & Mary For Truck Safety — for the purpose of encouraging underride research. Since that time, Jerry and Marianne Karth, have been working alongside Aaron to support his crash testing efforts. The ALMFTS website, fortrucksafety.com, serves as a means for other families and organizations  to support this project by making donations which may be considered tax-deductible.

The Karths have offered to keep a record here of the names of those whose lives are being remembered by their loved ones through contributions to this life-saving project. Photos and memories can be included. Their stories can also be included in the Interactive Underride Crash Map.

If you would like to know more about this, or would like to contact us about joining in to support our efforts, please email us at marianne@annaleahmary.com. Hope to hear from you soon!

Families of Underride Victims Work Together to Support Development of TrailerGuard System To Save Others

Underride Crash Map, ,

Aaron Kiefer, a crash reconstructionist, has been working for almost three years now to design and crash test a TrailerGuard System to prevent cars from sliding under trucks. The project is currently at a stage where he needs to move beyond a simple prototype to begin manufacture of a product which can be installed on a set of trucks to demonstrate its practicality.

In 2015, Aaron reached out to the Karth family, who lost two daughters, AnnaLeah (17) and Mary (13), due to a truck underride crash. They had set up a non-profit organization — AnnaLeah & Mary For Truck Safety — for the purpose of encouraging underride research. Since that time, Jerry and Marianne Karth, have been working alongside Aaron to support his crash testing efforts. The ALMFTS website, fortrucksafety.com, serves as a means for other families and organizations  to support this project by making donations which may be considered tax-deductible.

The Karths have offered to keep a record here of the names of those whose lives are being remembered by their loved ones through contributions to this life-saving project. Photos and memories can be included. Their stories can also be included in the Interactive Underride Crash Map.

This man survived a truck crash in March 2017 because the trailer which he rear-ended had a strengthened rear underride guard. It is our hope that many others will survive truck crashes because of Aaron’s innovative underride prevention technology.

Tractor trailers need to be safer to prevent underride deaths, Gillibrand says

If you would like to know more about this, or would like to contact us about joining in to support our efforts, please email us at marianne@annaleahmary.com. Hope to hear from you soon!

In Memory of Terrie Roede & Randy Roede

Underride Crash Map, ,

UPDATE March 13, 2026: Hundreds of people die every year when pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of passenger vehicles go under trucks. Please consider joining a STOP Underrides National Town Hall via Zoom April 15 | 8 – 9 pm ET |RSVP HERE. 

Your voice at this unique advocacy gathering will let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that you want them to pass the STOP Underrides Act of 2026.

A couple from Pierre died when their pickup truck collided with a semi on Interstate 90 and caught fire. Authorities say the semi was eastbound, entered the median and traveled into the westbound lanes where the collision occurred Sunday.

Sixty-four-year-old Terrie Roede and 59-year-old Randy Roede were pronounced dead at the scene. AP Pierre Couple Killed in Interstate Crash

See more underride tragedies at Underride Crash Memorials and on our Interactive Underride Crash Map. To add more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to this map, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com; use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form.

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

In Honor of Lance Stephens

Underride Crash Map,

UPDATE March 13, 2026: Hundreds of people die every year when pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of passenger vehicles go under trucks. Please consider joining a STOP Underrides National Town Hall via Zoom April 15 | 8 – 9 pm ET |RSVP HERE. 

Your voice at this unique advocacy gathering will let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that you want them to pass the STOP Underrides Act of 2026.

Zachary Thiel, 25, of Nebraska, was driving a semi northbound on Enos Lane when he stopped his vehicle to backup onto Panama Lane. Lance Stephens, 35, of Taft, was also traveling northbound on Enos Lane when he saw Thiel’s trailer in front of him.

In an attempt to avoid a crash, Stephens veered to the right and ended up colliding with the left rear of the semi.

Stephens suffered major injuries and was transported to Kern Medical, according to CHP. CHP release additional details in morning crash on Panama and Enos Lanes

See more underride tragedies at Underride Crash Memorials and on our Interactive Underride Crash Map. To add more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to this map, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com; use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form.

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

A man & a woman were hospitalized when their Dodge Charger went under a semi.

Underride Crash Map,

UPDATE March 13, 2026: Hundreds of people die every year when pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of passenger vehicles go under trucks. Please consider joining a STOP Underrides National Town Hall via Zoom April 15 | 8 – 9 pm ET |RSVP HERE. 

Your voice at this unique advocacy gathering will let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that you want them to pass the STOP Underrides Act of 2026.

“A crash between a car and a Little Caesars Pizza 18-wheeler sent two people to the hospital early Friday morning. . . It appeared the car struck the right side of the 18-wheeler as it tried to make a right turn into a shopping center where a Little Caesars restaurant is located.

A police officer at the scene told ABC-7 two people in the Dodge Charger, a man and woman, were hospitalized.

Emergency dispatch confirmed to the ABC-7 newsroom that at least one person had serious injuries.

The front end of the Dodge Charger ended up underneath the semi, leaving debris all over the street and a badly-damaged vehicle.” Crash between car, pizza semi-truck in east El Paso sends two to hospitalSee more underride tragedies at Underride Crash Memorials and on our Interactive Underride Crash Map. To add more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to this map, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com; use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form.

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

What people are saying about the STOP Underrides! Bill

Truck Safety

Out of the 43,008 U.S. signatures on the STOP Underrides! Bill Petition, over 4,000 people chose to make a comment in answer to the question, Why do you think Congress should pass the STOP Underrides! Bill?

Find out how they answered that question: Comments on the STOP Underrides! Bill Petition

What would you say? Sign the petition here: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underride!