In response to a family tragedy, a Cooperstown woman has succeeded in a campaign to improve road safety.
After Manfred Weidemann, 69, of Schuyler Lake, died on Dec. 23, 2004, his daughter, Carina Franck, said she wanted to do something to prevent another family from going through the same grief.
Weidemann was driving north on state Route 28 in the town of Milford at about 4:50 p.m. when his car struck the rear of a manure spreader that lacked reflective markings and was being towed by a tractor.
The tractor had signaled to turn left on Eddie Martin Road when struck from behind.
Weidemann was pronounced dead at the scene, and his wife, Marie, a passenger in the car, was hospitalized, deputies said at the time.
Both houses of the Legislature approved the law this week that requires all farm machinery on public highways to display the reflective slow-moving vehicle emblem.
This will improve visibility when operating on public highways, according to a release from Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, the Senate sponsor of the legislation. It was sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblyman Bill Magee, D-Nelson. Current law requires the markings on either the tractor or the vehicle being towed, but not both.
"It's a great day," said Franck, 41, a personal trainer at Clark's Sports Center in Cooperstown. "I'm happy it passed."
A few months after the accident, Franck said, she started looking at how the accident occurred. Seward helped her get in touch with people in the farm community to discuss the issues, she said. She found that despite the poor visibility that night, such markings could have prevented the accident.
Franck credited Seward and Magee, as well as their staffs and others, for the legislation that should help others avoid going through something similar. She said she will continue working with those groups, including Farm Bureau, on related issues.
State Farm Bureau Spokesman Peter Gregg said farm safety is a priority for the advocacy group.
"This legislation will help in a big way," he said.
The thing he's most happy with, he said, is the involvement of Gov. David Patterson's traffic safety committee to educate the public on the issues.
Magee said, "Now we have something that will help make our highways safer."
Seward previously said the bill strikes a balance between the needs of the farmers and the motoring public.
