The post-mortem examination detailed the extreme force of the underride collision. The injuries sustained by Mansfield were consistent with a sudden, massive blunt-force impact:
: Mansfield, along with the driver (Ronald B. Harrison) and her attorney (Samuel S. Brody), died instantly upon impact.
Despite the official findings, the rumor that Jayne Mansfield was decapitated stubbornly persisted. The myth was fueled by several factors: jayne mansfield autopsy report
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Following the accident, Mansfield’s body was taken for examination in New Orleans. The official autopsy and the subsequent death certificate provide the single most reliable source of information about the exact cause of her death. The post-mortem examination detailed the extreme force of
At approximately 2:25 AM, on a misty stretch of U.S. Highway 90 near Slidell, Louisiana, the Buick rounded a curve and crashed at high speed into the rear of a tractor-trailer. The truck had slowed down behind a city vehicle spraying mosquito fog, which severely obscured visibility on the road.
First, a color photograph taken at the morgue by a Louisiana State Trooper—which has since been suppressed and labeled "too graphic" for public release—appears to show Mansfield’s head detached from her body. In reality, the photograph was taken from a low angle, and her hair (a blonde wig over her own dark hair) was matted with blood and spread out on the table, creating an optical illusion of separation. The trooper who took the photo later admitted it was a "perspective trick." Brody), died instantly upon impact
On the night of June 29, 1967, Jayne Mansfield was traveling from Biloxi, Mississippi, to New Orleans for a television appearance. She was accompanied by her lawyer and companion Samuel S. Brody, their driver Ronnie Harrison, and three of her children—Miklós, Zoltan, and Mariska Hargitay—who were asleep in the backseat.
Public outrage and safety investigations following the high-profile crash prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to mandate federal safety requirements for the trucking industry. The government ordered that all commercial semi-trailers be outfitted with rear underride guards—steel bars hanging from the rear bumper designed to stop a car from sliding beneath the trailer. Today, these life-saving safety devices are still universally referred to as "Mansfield bars."
This article dissects the official autopsy findings, debunks the myths, and explores how a tragic accident became a grotesque urban legend.
The autopsy notes the collapse of the thoracic cage. Her ribs were shattered, and the sternum was broken. This resulted in severe lacerations to the lungs and the heart.