Category Archives: AnnaLeah and Mary

DOT Victim & Survivor Advocate Act Introduced To Give Victims A Voice

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On average, 42,075 people die on our roads every year, while 170,280 people are injured. Industry opposition. Regulatory capture. A lack of a sense of urgency or personal responsibility. These and other factors occur simultaneously — resulting in Too Little being done Too Late to prevent an unimaginable number of irreversible tragedies for those people and their loved ones.

It’s time to give vulnerable victims of vehicle violence a vigilant voice at the table. It’s time for a National Roadway Safety Advocate to serve the public’s best interests at the Department of Transportation. That’s why Senator Ben Ray Lujan (on May 9, 2024), and Congressman Steve Cohen (on May 10, 2024) introduced the DOT Victim & Survivor Advocate Act of 2024 — as a first step to provide safety advocates with a tangible means of bringing about meaningful change in a timely manner.

Find out more here:

You can help make this happen:

Hear Families Share Victim Stories — It’s time for a National Roadway Safety Advocate!

A Record of Those Remembered in the Underride Victim Vigil

AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,

Families of underride victims gathered on September 14, 2023, in front of the U.S. Department of Transportation at 1200 New Jersey Ave SE in Washington, DC — with crash test cars from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 2017 side underride research in the background — to remember loved ones, who lost their lives due to truck underride. The families rang a commemorative bell for over 750 victims, primarily from the last few years, and called upon the Department to re-evaluate publicly available data, end their decades of inaction, and issue strong underride regulations.

Their message was this: Delay = Death.

The names, included in this solemn event, were taken from a combination of sources, including victims from families known to me and memorial posts on this website. 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, from daily Google Alerts which I receive on truck 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.

This is not an exhaustive list — merely the tip of the iceberg. But I hope that it serves to demonstrate the ongoing nature of a preventable public safety problem. You can find these Underride Crash Memorial posts here. The 750+ victims of preventable truck underride (front, side, and rear, involving tractor-trailers and Single Unit Trucks, as well as pedestrians and cyclists), whom we specifically remembered on September 14, can be found here:

Names & Photos of Underride Victims Part 1 – The Tip of the Iceberg

Names & Photos of Underride Victims PART 2 – The Tip of the Iceberg

Names & Photos of Underride Victims PART 3 – The Tip of the Iceberg

  • STOP Underrides Commemorative Underride Victim Bell
  • Underride Victim Binder
  • The Tip of the Iceberg
  • The Tip of the Iceberg
  • The Tip of the Iceberg
  • Families of Underride Victims
  • Calling out the names & ringing the memorial bell

Media Coverage of DC Underride Victim Vigil & Press Conference

Video of Speakers at Underride Victim Vigil

A day in the life of an underride crash test crew; A Photographer’s Perspective

AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, ,

A local photographer became part of the all-volunteer TEAM Underride — offering his skills to capture a day in the life of an underride crash test crew at the Raleigh Underride Crash Test Event on August 3 at the North Carolina State Highway Patrol training facility. Here’s a glimpse of that day from a photographer’s perspective: Team Underride Crash Test Event.

Note: Adam Trevillian provided these photos for TEAM Underride to use. If outside sources would like to use these photos (for publications, etc.), please contact Adam so that he can handle those requests: adam@adamtrevillian.com.

Simply Mary. . . August 6, 1999 – May 8, 2013

AnnaLeah and Mary,

10 years after trucking crash killed 2 girls, mother sees hope for change

AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , ,

Over the years, safety reform has lagged, but companies such as J.B. Hunt and Stoughton Trailers pushed ahead of regulations, victim-turned-advocate says. . .

Read more here: Transport Dive, David Taube, May 5, 2023 10 years after trucking crash killed 2 girls, mother sees hope for change

What readers are saying:

“What a fantastic article!”

“It was a nice tribute to AnnaLeah & Mary and the cause. Hopefully, it will bring more awareness to the issue and help get stricter regulations on trailer safety.” chainsaw woodcarver, who carved the girls’ memorial bench

On another note: NHTSA recently announced the membership of an Advisory Committee on Underride Protection and the beginning steps toward development of a side guard regulation. We welcome this progress but know that there are still many hurdles to overcome before significant action will be taken to reduce these preventable tragedies.

We’re hoping that you will take some time, before June 20, to submit a Public Comment to NHTSA about a proposed side guard regulation. You can see, from the Public Comments already submitted to NHTSA, that the trucking community continues to express opposition. A comment from you, in favor of advancing side underride protection, would be much appreciated. You can do so here: Side Underride Guards – ANPRM.

Your comment should be based on your awareness and knowledge of this truck crash hazard. From your perspective, share why you think that side guards would be important to reduce the severity of these crashes. To the extent possible, your comments could reflect your knowledge of answers to nine questions to which NHTSA is specifically seeking answers.

May 4, 2013 seems like just yesterday; has anything changed?

AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , , , , ,

There’s no easy way to get through that time of year when we remember how AnnaLeah & Mary were suddenly snatched from this earthly life. How can it have been ten years ago? May 4, 2013 seems like just yesterday.

Read this post all the way through to find out what advances have come about, or skip to the end to find out how you can help. Despite our loud voices continuously raising awareness and pushing for change, progress has been painfully slow. But these are some actions which the USDOT has taken:

  • Rear underride guards are now on the annual commercial motor vehicle inspection checklist (rule issued by FMCSA in December 2021). This is important because poorly-maintained rear guards increase the chance of crash severity.
  • After beginning work on an improved rear guard rule in December 2015, in response to our 2013/2014 petitions, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finally issued an improved rule in July 2022. Incredibly, it fell short of requiring that the guards had the full strength already proven possible by the IIHS testing of nine major trailer manufacturers! We have petitioned NHTSA to reconsider this ill-advised decision.
  • NHTSA began taking applications for membership on an Advisory Committee on Underride Protection (ACUP) in July 2022. They finally announced the selected committee members in April 2023. The first ACUP meeting will take place virtually on May 25. I’m thankful that I will, at last, be able to sit “around the table” with a diverse group of stakeholders to hammer out reasonable solutions to this century-old problem.
  • Simultaneously with the ACUP announcement, and in advance of receiving any recommendations from the Advisory Committee, NHTSA published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) for a potential side guard regulation. Their cost benefit analysis is based on questionable data and concludes that a side guard regulation would not be cost effective. We are working hard to provide more accurate information in order to correct the CBA in favor of saving lives.

“How can I help?” I thought you’d never ask!

  • Pray for the ACUP members and for this process to produce meaningful outcomes.
  • Only 17 states have an UNDERRIDE FIELD on their state crash report form. This contributes to underreporting of these deaths. By 5:00 p.m. EST on MAY 3, submit a simple, brief Public Comment here. Tell NHTSA you want them to require (not merely suggest) that states have an Underride Field (and which indicates whether it was front, side, or rear) on their crash report form.
  • By June 20, submit a Public Comment on the side guard ANPRM here. Tell them why you think that there should be a side guard regulation (simple reason: To Save Lives).
  • Tens of thousands of underride victims have been a nameless group whose senseless deaths have been swept under the rug for decades despite the ingenuity of engineers to prevent horrific underride. No more. We would like to remember these Precious Ones Gone Too Soon in a special way. We hope to receive permission from the USDOT to install a Commemorative Bell of Hope at their office building in Washington, D.C. We will be organizing a day In Memory of Underride Victims — to ring the bell and call out the names of individuals who lost their lives to underride. We do not know every name, but we will include as many as possible. If you would like to contribute to the purchase of this bell or participate in this event, please let me know by writing to me at marianne@annaleahmary.com.
Side Guard Crash Test in Raleigh, September 2022
To remember how AnnaLeah & Mary lived — full of love & laughter — not merely how they died.

The Making of a Very Special Memorial Bench

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This is a record of the creation of a very special bench in memory of two sisters who are no more — AnnaLeah and Mary Lydia Karth.

#madewithheart by Carole, a chainsaw wood carver, CC Carving: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... https://www.etsy.com/shop/cccarving?f…

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;

in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,

which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day;

and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. (2 Timothy 4: 7-8)

To God be the glory — their Creator and Redeemer.

too often, it’s hard, I know

to find a space where one can recall

not how they died

but how they lived & who they were

a place for grateful reflections

As Hard as It Is, It’s Important to Remember Our Lost Loved Ones

Background Music: “May It Be” Music: Enya Lyrics: Roma Ryan Recorded: Aigle Studios, Dublin

Released: 2001 for the movie Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

“May It Be” is both a blessing song and a prayer, written by Enya in collaboration with Nicky and Roma Ryan specifically for Peter Jackson’s film Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring at the request of soundtrack composer Howard Shore. It was composed in a style intended to evoke the cultural feeling of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world, in particular that of Tolkien’s elves.

Peter Jackson in Part One: From Book to Vision: “May It Be” is a blessing sung for those who choose to walk the long road, in defense of all that is good in life, no matter the odds. Honoring one’s commitment to what is true, loving and good, with perseverance even in the face of total hopelessness, is a continual theme appearing throughout all of Tolkien’s work. (Paraphrased) https://genius.com/Enya-may-it-be-lyrics

Remembering AnnaLeah & Mary

AnnaLeah and Mary

Recently, the Institute for Safer Trucking honored the memory of AnnaLeah and Mary with a post on their website:

About AnnaLeah & Mary Karth

We’re grateful for the special words and photos preserving their memories in this way – though bittersweet, as it records two precious lives ended far too soon.

Too Many Lives Forever Changed

AnnaLeah and Mary, ,

Does it get any easier to remember our loss after nine years? Our lives, forever changed, have gone on — without AnnaLeah and Mary. Well, of course, we carry on. Day after day, we adjust to life without them. What else could we do? They weren’t the only people in our lives; life is still full of loving purpose. Yet it would be less than truthful to pretend that our daughters were somehow replaceable — that someone else could fill their shoes, laugh their laugh, fulfill their destiny.

Every death is hard. But when a death is unexpected, violent, and preventable, grief becomes more complicated. Knowing a loved one’s eternal destiny will be far better than anything this earthly life offers can definitely be comforting for those left behind. But when you learn that they could have been spared a horrible death due to a known unreasonable risk — that a truck crash could have been made more survivable — what do you do with the anger and frustration? And when the senseless travesty continues — at the expense of countless victims — the wound seems constantly exposed and harder to heal.

So every year the month of May, for which we had planned a family gathering to celebrate four college graduations & a wedding, brings endless reminders:

  • May 4 – the day of our crash & the day AnnaLeah died.
  • May 8 – the day Mary died.
  • International Bereaved Mothers’ Day (1st Sunday in May)
  • Mother’s Day
  • May 15 – AnnaLeah’s birthday
  • May 18 – first funeral in Midland, Texas (“AnnaLeah & Mary. . . They are where they belong”)
  • June 8 – second funeral in Grand Rapids & their burial in Big Rapids, Michigan (“Farewell to Mary & AnnaLeah”)

“AnnaLeah & Mary. . .They are where they belong”. . . funeral sermon on May 18, 2013.

Remembering AnnaLeah & Mary–the joy & the pain–with hope we carry on. Never have I known anything so hard to understand. . . {With Hope, Steven Curtis Chapman}

Eagerly awaiting the revelation of joy unspeakable–together!

Can the Insurance Industry Help End the Unfair Fight of Truck Underride Tragedies?

AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, , , , , , ,

Today is #MLKDay. Mary loved that day because it was a special holiday which she liked to think was in honor of her — Mary Lydia Karth. And Mary loved holidays. Unfortunately, her life was abruptly ended after only fourteen celebrations of that holiday. It was “an unfair fight” on May 4, 2013 — our car against a tractor-trailer with a too-weak rear underride guard.

Karth crash scene, May 4, 2013

The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) recently wrote about our story, our advocacy, and that Unfair Fight which has already claimed too many lives and continues to do so nearly every day:

An Unfair Fight – Winter 2021 IN magazine

We’re hoping that insurance companies will catch the vision that they, too, can play an important role in advancing underride protection by providing financial incentives for installing the best possible protection. Let’s end this unfair fight and STOP Underrides!