12 28 2020

My 1950 auto accident

1950

(Pictures at the end)

Saturday night on our brothers ‘zoom’ gathering the question man, Gene, asked the question about memorable experiences that have happened in our lives.  And on my A Walk in the Woods Sunday morning I decided to write this one up and post it on my blog. I have been wanting to do it for quite a while.  (Try not to worry Sara I will get my ‘World War II kid on the farm’ story written sometime)

Probably because it happened at the intersection of 100N and 200E (#1 on map).   Nearly every time I drive by it I recall it. 

 It was in the summer of 1950, I don’t recall whether it was the end week of July or the 1^st week of August.  I do recall Dad mentioning that he had just changed auto insurance companies at that time.  

I have tried to find notes about it in moms ledgers and at the library newspaper microfilms with no luck.

 I was coming home from summer band practice in Winamac with my cornet in the case, probably on the front passenger seat. Usually I would come from the south, IN 14.  For some reason this time I was coming from the west on 100N, heading east to home (#4).  All roads were gravel.  No stop signs.  Corn was high on all 4 corners.  No one ever stopped at these country intersections.   I was in Dads, the family, car a Chevy as I recall.  I was probably driving up towards 40mph. 

 I recall as I approached the intersection a thought ”what would happen if a car was coming to the intersection along 200E?”  I slowed down and little, maybe 5 mph or so. 

 When I got to the intersection, holy S... there was a local electric power company (probably REMC) truck coming from the North, the left.  I hit the brakes. The car was having some brake problems that Dad had not got fixed yet.  The brakes did not lock up but did engage to some extent. 

 I hit the truck on the passenger side.  It twisted and rolled over making a couple flips as it rolled South on 200E.  It came to rest on the driver side with the driver pinned between the road, door and frame.

 My car spun around and stopped with the rear end just over the south east corner.  There was a side ditch there so the rear of the car was resting slightly in the ditch.  I was knocked out some way and came too within seconds under the car on my back.  I managed to squirm out from under the left side of the car on my back.

 Except for a few bumps etc the ONLY INJURY I HAD was burning the inside of my right arm (I think it was my right arm) on the exhaust pipe as i squirmed out.  My Shoes were laying in the intersection, all doors were shut, my glasses were on the car floor, my closed cornet case was in the back seat.  Later I found that my cornet had been bent. 

 I checked the truck but there was nothing I could do, the passenger seemed roughly ok. So I walked down to the neighbors house (Gil Gordons) in my stocking feet (#2 on map).  I got there and tried to tell the lady what happened.  She immediately jumped into action and settled me down and called the authorities and my mom at home.  (Remember no cell phones, no computers, etc at that time)

 Mean while, my dad and 1 or 2 of my brothers were setting out pine trees across the SE field about a quarter mile (#3 on map).  He heard a crash and saw the truck top rolling over the high corn.  They went over immediately.  They could not find me but assumed I had wandered off.  They tried to roll the truck over but as  I recall did not have much luck.  The authorities got there pretty fast and they got the truck upright and the driver out.  He was in bad shape.  They rushed him to the hospital about 20 miles away.  Plymouth I believe it was. 

 I do not recall how I got back down to the site, probably the neighbor lady took me.  We found my glasses and shoes and noticed that  my cornet was inside the case and bent slightly..  But still worked fine during my senior year of band. 

 The truck driver survived but I think, I recall, he was seriously injured and may have not been able to go back to work.  Dad did 2 things that have impressed me all my life.  As soon as he could we went for a drive in the car and he had me drive to convince me I could still drive ok.  And he took me to the hospital to visit the injured truck driver. 

 I do not know any of the legal and insurance stuff that happened.  The rules, as I recall, was that the person on the right has right of way, but also the person who enters the intersection 1^st has right of way.  The passenger and truck driver, as I recall, did not see me coming at all. And did not brake at all.  As I mentioned I did see them.  I recall dad saying that they blamed it on me since I was a kid. 

 As you can tell I was EXTREMELY FORTUNATE.  The only injury was the burn on my arm and even it was not real bad.  Even the car damage was not too bad.  And the bent cornet still worked fine.

 

Cornet about  70 years old                                                    1950 calendar

 

Intersection of 200E and 100N  (at #1)