The blonde bombshell was headed to New Orleans with her three children, her boyfriend, and a driver in a 1966 Buick Electra 225. Their car drove under the back of a semi-trailer which had slowed down for an insecticide-spraying tanker truck working up ahead. The late-night spraying operation created a fog, which reduced visibility in the curve of this road.
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Rumors of Mansfield being decapitated in the accident are untrue, although she did have severe head trauma. After the accident, the government mandated semi-trailers to be equipped with a rear guard to prevent vehicles from sliding underneath. This is often referred to as a "Mansfield bar".
Some believe that the exact location of the crash is about five miles east of here (west of the Rigolets bridge). After reading both schools of thought online, I believe this memorial is in the correct location.