The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1922-09-08
TERRIBLE
ACCIDENT
MONDAY EVE

One Of the worst accidents ever to
happen in this section fell to the lot
of the 6. D. Banko family of Cash
mere and a number of their friends
Monday evening as the party Of
thirteen was returning from a pleasure
trip to Lake Wenatchee. three o.
whom were seriously injured and
others disabled by shock and disfg-
ured by bruises.
The party had made the trip to the
lake in Ford truck and in the even
ing were returning home in the same
conveyance. On reaching the summit
of Beaver Hill and starting the trip
down this side Mr.. Banko. who was
driving, lost control and the vehicle
soon attained high speed, then, hit
ting the bank, it Slowed around and
turned over in the road.
In the party were Mr.. and Mrs
Banko and their five children. four
girls and one boy; Mr. and Mrs. B.
F. Johnson; Mr.. and Mrs. Chris Giese
and little boy, and Howard Weaver. a
young man who had come out from
Indiana and was working at Cash
mere.
When the truck hit the bank they
were all thrown to the ground and
some of them pinned under the car
and it is a wonder that any escaped
serious injury as it has been state
that they were going about sixty
miles an hour when the spill occurred
Those most seriously injured were:
Elsie Banko, IA, fracture at base
Of skull. Condition serious.
Mrs. Chris Giese. bones of right
foot and ankle irreparably crushed.
necessitating amputation; pelvis frac-
tured on left side; serious injury to
back.
Howard Weaver, bones Of left leg
and ankle broken in several places.
Mrs. Banko, left side of neck in
jured and minor cuts and bruises.
The other members of the party
were most of them more or less
scratched and bruised. Mr. Banko, it
is said, was pinned under the car. the
body of which was torn loose and
thrown away to some distance
Other people returning from the
lake soon arrived and gave first aid
and brought the whole party to Leav-
enworth where those most seriously
hurt We're taken to the Community
hospital and cared for by DR.. Lessing.
Three Of them-Mrs. Giese, Elsie
Banko and Howard Weaver-are still
at the hospital and will remain until
their conditions permit them to be re-
moved. Mrs Banko is at the Barclay
hotel and will remain for some days.
The others went to their homes, eX-
cepting that Mr.. Banko and Mr.. Giese
have been here most Of the time to be
close to those who are so painfully
injured All are thought to be doing
nicely, with the exception of Elsie,
whose injury may yet require an ope-
ration.
The place where the accident hap
pened is not regarded as hazardous
and it seems that the accident was due
to a lack Of understanding of the
mechanism of the truck, which was
fitted with a universal transmission.
Mr. Banko has stated that he under
took to shift gears on reaching the
top Of the hill and that he could not
get the gears meshed again. Those
familiar with the truck say that this
should not have prevented him from
governing the speed as the brakes #
applied would have held.
The terrible price that the injured
are paying for the evident lack Of
understanding of the machine on the
part Of the driver. illustrates the i'm
portance of care in driving on these
mountain roads.