Jayne Mansfield’s life and death have been subject to various urban myths for decades, from accusations of satan worshipping in her final years, to the manner in which the actress died suddenly at the age of 34. Even in her posthumous years, the star has been subject to a dehumanizing portrayal, due to her career as a sexual symbol and the sexist stigma surrounding her job, as well as the violent, tragic accident in June 1967 that cut her life tragically short.
Jayne Mansfield’s daughter, Mariska Harigtay (best known for her role as Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), has been outspoken about her grief and has attempted to set the record straight about her mother. Notably, Hargitay called out the 2012 film Jayne Mansfield’s Car for its tasteless title, as well as perpetuating myths about the accident, in which Hargitay had been injured as an infant.
How did Jayne Mansfield die?
Jayne Mansfield died as a result of an automobile accident in New Orleans, Louisiana, when Mansfield’s car collided with a tractor-trailer vehicle. The trailer in front slowed down suddenly, causing the 1966 Electra 225 behind to hit the back of the trailer at full speed, causing the top of the Electra vehicle to become shaved off in the collision.
Mansfield, her attorney Sam Brody, and hired driver Ronnie Harrison, died instantly. In the back seat, Mansfield’s children – Miklós, Zoltán, and Mariska Hargitay – survived and were sleeping in the back, although they were slightly injured. Hargitay has a scar on her forehead from the accident, which can be seen in many of photographs and footage of the actress. Hargitay has stated that the scar is a reminder of the accident and her life-defining loss of her mother, describing the injury as “the scar of my soul.”
It has been a popular urban myth that Jayne Mansfield was decapitated as a result of the accident. However, this was not the case, and is simply an embellishment to make the accident an extra gruesome spectacle. Graphic photos of the accident that have been made public are low-quality and are difficult to make out the details of, fuelling this myth, but this was not the case, as Mansfield’s official death certificate rules “crushed skull with avulsion of cranium and brain” as the official cause of death.
How Jayne Mansfield’s death changed road safety forever
Modern semi-trailer vehicles are fitted with an underride guard known as ICC bars, referred to colloquially as “Mansfield bars” by drivers. Mansfield bars create an extra layer of protection for the driver and front passenger’s heads in the event of a collision. This additional barrier prevents the passengers from getting into contact with and slipping below the underside of the trailer, which is almost certainly a fatality.
In the decades after Mansfield’s death, it became standard practice for tractor-trailer vehicles to be fitted with the Mansfield bar, as the accident became synonymous with the risk that such vehicles could carry in the event of an accident. This was officially recommended by the federal government’s road safety standards, and the ruling has saved countless lives, especially as tractor-trailer vehicles became more common on busy roads.