On May 4, 2014, the first anniversary of the devastating truck crash that claimed the lives of AnnaLeah and Mary Karth, Marianne and Jerry Karth and six family members will begin their journey from Rocky Mount, North Carolina to Washington, D.C. The Karth family will hand deliver their “AnnaLeah and Mary Stand Up for Truck Safety” petition to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administer Anne Ferro and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Acting Administrator David Friedman on Monday, May 5. The Karth family, including Marianne and Jerry Karth, parents, Rocky Mount, NC, Isaac Karth, brother, Rocky Mount, NC, Peter Karth, brother, Midland, Texas, Danelle Karth, sister-in-law, Midland, Texas, Susanna Karth, sister, Rocky Mount, NC, Marcus Karth, nephew, Midland, Texas and Vanessa Karth, niece, Midland, Texas, will then meet with Administrator Ferro and Acting Administrator Friedman to discuss the truck safety issues that likely contributed to their family’s crash. The Karth family’s agenda for the meeting follows.
The Karth Family requests Secretary Foxx to take the following actions:
Rear Underride Guards: We are requesting, effective immediately, that the DOT—for the present—adopt the Canadian standard for rear underride guards and that DOT continue to study the situation, as we are well aware of a trailer manufacturer which has gone beyond these standards and “raised the safety bar.”
Electronic Logging Devices: We request immediate progress on rule-making for electronic logging devices, as driver fatigue is a very real concern. It is, in fact, a life and death matter. Please expedite this process as quickly as possible.
Back Row: Caleb, Peter holding Vanessa, Jerry, AnnaLeah, Isaac, Naomi, Samuel. Front Row: Levi, Susanna, Danelle, Marcus in front of her, Marianne, Rebekah, Mary
Karth family with 10,000 petitions outside U.S. DOT before their meeting
Marianne, Isaac and Jerry Karth on Capitol Hill after their meeting with Congressman Cartwright’s office
Marianne and Jerry Karth deliver the petitions to FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro
Marianne and Jerry Karth are interviewed at NBC studios
Sign up to receive updates on the Karth Family’s Advocacy and Petition
Each year 4,000 people are killed and another 100,000 people are injured in truck crashes. This is an unacceptably high number of losses and injuries, but most people don’t know about these numbers or the safety equipment that can protect people on the roads until they or someone they know has their lives forever altered in a crash involving a semi truck.
Karth Crash Photo
We found out the hard way all about how important truck safety is when AnnaLeah (age 17) and Mary (age 13) were killed in an accident involving two semi trucks on May 4, 2013. In a meeting on September 12th, 2013, with the Truck Safety Coalition and Secretary of Transportation Foxx to discuss truck safety issues, Foxx stated, “I can promise you tangible progress in a short period of time.” As a member of the Cabinet, Foxx has executive authority to make these changes.
At this time, we are initiating an online petition to request Foxx to fulfill his promise and to do everything he can to protect our families on the road and prevent more senseless tragedies by ensuring that the following truck safety improvements are made:
We are specifically asking Foxx to:
Raise minimum levels of insurance required for truck drivers–which has not been done for over 30 years.
Decrease driver fatigue and monitor their hours on the road with Electronic Logging Devices.
Take needed steps to improve underride guards, which prevent vehicles from sliding under trucks–causing horrific injuries and tragic deaths.
We will print each signed petition and put them in separate envelopes. Then, on May 5, 2014, we will take these envelopes to Washington, D.C. and meet with DOT to remember AnnaLeah & Mary and to promote truck safety.
Arrange a time to have the printed petitions available for group members to sign—making sure that they include their contact information as indicated on the form.
NOTE: Be sure that they only sign ONE petition: either the online OR printed version—NOT both. Mail the signed petitions to us—POSTMARKED NO LATER than April 21, 2014:
Jerry & Marianne Karth
2800 Ridgecrest Drive
Rocky Mount, NC 27803
3. Find out more about Our Story and about Truck Safety Issues:
We have set up a website in memory of AnnaLeah & Mary and for the promotion of truck safety advocacy: http://annaleahmary.com
After our accident, we were contacted by volunteers from the Truck Safety Coalition–other people who had lost loved ones in truck crashes–and provided with helpful information and support in the wake of our tragedy.The Truck Safety Coalition is a partnership between The Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) Foundation, and Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T). The Truck Safety Coalition (TSC) is dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries caused by truck-related crashes, providing compassionate support to truck crash survivors and families of truck crash victims, and educating the public, policy-makers and media about truck safety issues.For more information on truck safety issues and to sign up for newsletters and updates, please visit the rest of the Truck Safety Coalition’s website.
Please pray for this effort to be fruitful and make a difference for those who travel on the roads of our country.
