Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1911-09-08
AUTO PLUNGEKILLSMOTHER
Son Seriously Injured with Slight
Hope Of Recovery.

Hope Of Recovery.
Racing up the Mercer Street viaduct,
in Jersey City in order to get past an
other automobile Thursday evening,
large touring car owned by James Y.
Burnett, wholesale wrapping paper
dealer of 80 West Thirty-frst Street,
Bayonne, N. j., and operated by his
son, Clifford Burnett, was driven high
over the iron paling that forms the side
of the viaduct and hurled with tremen-
dous force down into the filled marsh,
fifty feet beneath. Mr.. Burnett him
self barely escaped death by catching
at the torn ratings and breaking his fall
temporarily, but his wife and young son
were carried down in the runaway car.
Mrs. Burnett was killed outright and
the boy probably MORALLY injured. The
father, though badly injured, will prob
ably recover.
Mr.. and Mrs. Burnett had spent the
afternoon shopping in New York. They
returned to Jersey City on the ferry,
and were met there by their only son,
Clifford, 20 years old, in their automo-
bile. Young Burnett was at the wheel.
He decided to go to Bayonne by way of
the long Mercer Street Viaduct, which,
running at a considerable grade, con-
meets the lowland of old Jersey City
with the Jersey City Heights on the
boulevard.
The car was soon ascending the via
duct at a good speed. Ahead, young
Burnett saw another auto, and putting
on more speed he tried to overtake it.
The car ahead was also going at high
speed, but in a short time Burnett had
brought his own car nearly up to it. and
swerved to the left to pass.
AS he turned from behind the other
car, however, to his horror there doomed
close ahead, and coming at a lively
rattle down the grade of the viaduct, a
heavy truck. There was only moment
to decide on action, and in that moment
young Burnett guided his car between
the frightened horse of the approaching
truck and the curb of the south footpath
of the viaduct.
For moment it seemed as if the car,
despite the speed at which it had whizzed
along, might get through the narrow
space. Then it:bounced over the curb
at an angle of 45 degrees. There was
rending of iron and steel as the front of
the car crashed into the iron fence that
runs along the outside of the viaduct.
A section of nearly fifty feet of the iron
paling was torn away, and the auto,
eaping off the edge of the viaduct
hurtled out into space and plunged
whirling almost completely over to the
filled-up marsh below.
Joseph Hoffman, driver of the truck
which young Burnett had been trying to
avoid, and several other persons on the
viaduct who had witnessed the accident,
rushed to the side of the roadway and
peered over. They could see the wrecked
touring car, with its front wheels buried
deeply in the soft ground, and nearby
lay the unconscious form of the elder
Burnett. Mrs. Burnett and her son lay
motionless under the partly overturned
car.
Ambulances were called from the City
Hospital, two blocks away, and a few
minutes later the three victims has been
carried out from under the viaduct.
Mrs. Burnett had been killed instantly,
her head being crushed. The young
man was badly gashed in the head, and
had received conclusion of the brain and
a compound fracture of the right leg.
1t is feared, too, that he has internal
injuries, and his recovery is doubtful.
The elder Burnett had suffered a frac-
ture of the collarbone and many cuts
and bruises. New York Press.