The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-09-16
AUTO OVER BANK
Herbert P. WEIGH Suf-
fers Broken Back in
Terrible Accident
CAR FALLS Is FEET


Two Somersaults Over Steep Bank
on Middlesex Road Miraculous
Escape for Others in Machine.
A terrible accident was the climax
of a days outing of a Montpelier
paryt Sunday night, while returning
from Lake Champlain. Word was re-
|ceived by telephone at the police sta
ton at twenty minutes of nine
O'Clock from the farm of George AL
Iexander on the Middlesex road, that
an automobile had gone over the
bank near the farm, the occupants
were badly injured and assistance
was needed. officer Connolly was at
the station and at once got DR.. Will
liam Lindsay, who started for the
scene in a team when John Wahlen
volunteered to take the doctor in his
automobile. In six minutes after
leaving the police station they pull
ed up at George Alexanders, where
the ladies of the party had been
taken.
Mr.. and Mrs. Dean X. Lille, Mr..
and Mrs. Herbert WEIGH, Miss Laura
Barnes, E. B. Gilbert and George Bus
well had been taking an outing in Mr.
Lilies automobile, at Lake Cham
plain, where they had spent the day
on the lake in the boat owned by c.
F. Boswell and E. B. Gilbert. On
their return they stopped at Water
bury for supper and arrived at the
place of the accident about Sis.
They were proceeding at slow rate
of speed and rounded a curve in the
road about so rods beyond the Geo.
Alexander place toward Middlesex
where they met Levi Swift in a team
In turning out for Mr. Swift, the
wheels of the machine cut off over
the bank on the right of the road
the machine going through the guard
rail and turning two complete SOM
ersaults down the bank, throwing the
occupants in all directions, landing
about so feet from the road in an
upright position.
The three ladies were on the rear
seat George Boswell and Herbert
WEIGH were on the extra seats in the
tonneau, while Mr.. Gilbert sat beside
Mr.. Lille, who was driving the ma
chine. 1t was all done so quickly that
no one of the party can tell much
about it, The three ladies were W
on the bank which at this point is
about % feet high. The first thing Mi
Lille heard was Mr. Welch calling for
help, saying that his back was badly
hurt. Mr.. Lille had a severe blow on
the head, while Mr.. Gilbert was under
the forward axle of the machine, but
was not hurt. George Boswell was
thrown on the grass and escaped in
jury. Mrs. Welch was uninjured, but
tainted from the shock after she was
taken to the Alexander place. Mrs
Lille was hurt in the chest and sus-
tanned deep cut in her head, being
unconscious at the house where she
was taken. Mr.. Welch had one leg
broken so that the bones came
Through the flesh and was entirely
Iparalyzed below the waist. DR.. Lind
say made such examination as was
possible under the circumstances and
lit was feared that his back was brok-
EN-.
The ambulance arrived from Put
lneys Stable and he was taken al
once to Heaton Hospital. The ma
chine was badly smashed, and the
wonder to all who viewed the scene
is that any one in the party escaped
death. The machine owned by A. w
Bugbee, of Barre, was directly be-
hind Mr.. Lilies machine and Mar
shall Wood, who was returning from
burlington, was behind the Bugbee
machine. They all rendered such aid
as they were able, while George Bus
well ran at once to the Alexander
house and telephoned for aid to the
police station.
A young man in the Bugbee ma
chine tainted from the shock of the
terrible scene, but was soon able to
Iresume the trip to Barre. AS soon
as the news of the accident became
known in this city, several automo-
biles went to render assistance but
nothing could be done except to take
the people back to this city.
Sunday night word was received
from the hospital that the examina-
ton by the physicians there had es-
tablished beyond a doubt that Mr..
WEIGH had sustained a broken back.
His right leg was also broken in two
places.