Evening star., 1928-03-26
AUTO ACCIDENT CRIPPLES GIRL.
IS CONFINED TO BED FOR YEAR
Victim Poses for Photo as
Warning to Other
Children.
Hurt When She Dashed Into
Street to Retrieve
Rubber Ball.

Two years ago the carelessness Of an
automobile driver and the thoughtless-
ness of 9-year-old girl brought the
little girl to the threshold of death
Margaret Ertter, small daughter Of
Mr.. and Mrs. John F. Ertter, 6131
Georgia avenue. is that child, and it
was only two weeks ago that she was
able to walk without crutches as n
result of that accident.
Now she is able to hobble back and
forth to the nearby school with the
aid OF cane and a steel brace on her
bent and twisted leg which may never
get well. But she cannot take part In
the games Of the neighboring children
Instead, she sits on the step and
watches them play. Doctors say that
her right Leg which Is bent and 2
inches shorter than the left, may some
day grow to its normal size, but the
girl and her family doubt it, II she
does finally get we'll, it will be when
she is almost grown. and she will have
missed the playtime which is her
heritage as child.
Partly Girls Fault.
The mother admits that the accident
was partly Margaret's fault. but she
says that the automobile which struck
her was speeding north on Georgia
avenue in front of their home at an
excessive rate of speed. Perhaps
Margaret was at fault, but the motorist,
If he had been as careful of little
Margaret as he would OF his own dear
ones. would have had time to stop. or
at least lessen the force with which the
automobile crashed against the frail
body of the child
On a warm evening In May two years
ago Margaret had been playing with
the other children and her brother and
her two sisters The children had sat
down on the steps next door and we're
resting Margarets mother called her
to come into the house. AS the child
jumped up to obey the large rubber
ball with which she had been playing
rolled from her lap and out into the
middle OF the street
Margaret sprang forward to retrieve
her toy. Capturing the ball, she darted
back toward the sidewalk. She crossed
safely in front of the car nearest the
center Of the street, but a speeding
automobile was hidden on the other
side from Margaret's view.
Carried to Hospital
Margarets brother and sisters ran
screaming into the house Mrs. Ertter
rushed out and gathered up the broken
and bleeding child She was taken 10
Walter Reed Hospital but a short dis
tance away. and then removed 10 Gar
field the next day
For 10 days Margaret lay as one
dead AS the eleventh morning dawned
the little sufferer began TO toss in de-
lirtum. Physicians said Margaret's skull
vas fractured and her pelvus and right
hip smashed. AS soon as possible she
underwent an operation Then she be-
gan 10 mend. 1t soon became apparent
that she would be crippled The leg be-
came infected, and Ii was necessary 70
scrape and cauterize the bone
For one year the child was confined
to her bed The day after the accident
the motorist, to whom 1t was too
troublesome 10 watch for children. sent
Margaret a bunch OF flowers. He had
done his duty, he must have thought.
and nothing more was heard from hun.
Last March doctors found that the
sciatic nerve had been mashed They
were forced 10 operate again. Soon
afterward Margaret was able to walk
with the aid of crutches. but the right
leg was badly twisted It became evi-
dent that the leg would have to be re-
broken. so back to the hospital went
the little girl to endure the pain and
anguish all over again.
In all. five major operations were