SAFETY * USA - Truck driver’s widow takes fight for airbag requirement to Capitol Hill

Washinngton,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Clarissa Kell-Holland -18 March 2011: -- Honoring her husband’s memory is what motivates Sarah Van Wasshnova to continue to push for tougher crashworthiness standards for manufacturers of heavy trucks...  On Thursday, March 17, she took her fight to Capitol Hill, where she met with some U.S. lawmakers and their staff to share Carl’s story – and the importance of requiring airbags in the cabs of commercial vehicles...  Van Wasshnova, a teacher from Port Orange, FL, told Land Line she is convinced her husband would be alive today if his 2005 Freightliner Columbia day cab had been equipped with an airbag. He was only going approximately 30 mph when he veered across the median to avoid a possible collision in front of him and hit an empty FedEx trailer. He died at the scene...  She said Carl died from blunt force trauma after hitting the steering column during the crash...  As for her efforts to save other truck drivers and their families from experiencing what her family has gone through, Van Wasshnova said she is determined to see this through...