Five Injured in Auto Accidents: 3 Youths Fined
Man and Woman Narrowly Escape Death When Truck Overturns on Auto
Five persons were injured in two automobile accidents that occurred here and near Amboy
over the week-end and three Swayzee youths involved in the latter mishap were fined
today.
In the accident occurring at Main and Godfroy streets here Saturday afternoon, George
Dixon, 53, of 11 North Walnut street, was painfully, but not seriously injured. It was
first feared his condition was critical, but it was later found he had escaped with cuts
and bruises.
Mrs. Addie Miller, about 65, of 387 East Main street, who was in the car with Dixon,
escaped with minor cuts and bruises. Dixon a C&O engineer, is being treated at the
Railroad hospital. Mrs. Miller had just entered the car accept a ride downtown.
Truck Crushes Auto
The accident occurred when Dixon started to pull away from the curb in his Pontiac coupe
and was said to have driven into the path of an oncoming Indiana railroad truck heavily
laden and driven by William V Ezell, 39 of Indianapolis, who escaped injury. Ezell
swerved the truck in an effort to avoid a collision, but the huge truck turned over on its
side, smashing the driver’s side of Dixon’s car beneath it. It was necessary to jack up
the truck and then use a fire truck to pull the Dixon car from under it. The top of the
coupe was so badly flattened that considerable work was required to extricate Dixon, who
was taken to the hospital in the Allen ambulance.
Confusion Scene
A dozen city state police, together with several ambulances and hundreds of spectators
were attracted to the scene, and to add to the confusion the fire department was summoned
by some spectator who saw smoke coming from under the hood of the Dixon car and feared it
would burst into flames.
Jacks were used to hoist the huge truck after two wreckers failed to lift it and even
after the Dixon car was pulled from under it with chains attached to the fire truck, it
was necessary to use crow bars and other tools to pry the wreckage apart so Dixon, who was
almost suffocated and was semi-conscious, could finally be extricated about a half hour
later.
Amboy Accident
The other accident occurred Sunday at 1:30am on a curve in Road 21, just north of Amboy
when a 1933 Auburn sedan driven by Charles Reed, 20, of Swayzee, turned over three times
and was badly wrecked. Reed and two other Swayzee youths, Jed Long, and William N Bryant,
sustained severe cuts and bruises, but none was injured seriously.
Reed and Long were taken to Dukes hospital in the Gene laird ambulance while Bryant was
treated at Amboy, Deputy Walter E Anderson, Deputy Walter E Anderson, who investigated,
later arrested the three youths.
Reed Fined
When arraigned before Mayor Long Monday morning, Reed pleaded guilty to a charge of
reckless driving and was fined $10 and costs, and his driver’s license was revoked for one
year.
Long and Bryant pleaded guilty to public intoxication and each of them was fined $1 and
costs. The three youths paid their fines and were released.
PDT 20 March 1939, p1,2