The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1933-12-21
.SLEET CAUSES. CAR
ACCIDENT; PRIEST
dies OF INJURIES
Rev. O'D0nnell of Minneota is
Victim of Collision With
Truck Near Morton
2 BOYS SLIGHTLY HURT
Second Truck Runs Into First
On Icy Paving Thursday;
Truckers Unhurt

Rev. James p. ODonnell, Catholic
priest from Minneota, died at 5 a. m.
Friday from basic skull fracture and
other injuries received Thursday eve-
ming when his car crashed into the
Canine Brothers stock truck from
Tracy, one mile east of Morton on
Highway IA. Before the vehicles were
removed from the highway, a second
stock truck crashed into them on the
icy pavement.
Rev. O'Donnell, accompanied by
Phillip Tillemans and Philip Grand
pre-, both 10, from Minneota was re-
turning to Minneota from st. Paul
where he spent the day with his par
ents and brothers and a sister.
After having had trouble on the
trip out from the city in driving on
a sleet-covered pavement and through
ice forming on the windshield, the
party stopped in Fairfax and had a
windshield heater placed on the car in
order to make visibility better. Driv-
ing conditions were still most diff
cult, however, and on coming onto the
turn Rev. O'Donnell did not notice
until too late that a truck was ap-
preaching from the west. He had
gotten about halfway around the
curve when his car skidded directly
into the path of the truck. The boys
remember hearing him exclaim, ''This
is terrible" And then the crash en-
sued.
Meeting practically head-on, the
heavily loaded livestock truck badly
demolished the O'Donnell car. The
truck was owned by Cantine brothers,
livestock truckers Of Tracy and with
Charles F. Cantine in the cab was
John ]. Flickinger the farmer owning
the hogs being taken to the South ST.
Paul market. Neither man in the truck
was hurt, and of the double-deck load
of SO hogs only one was crippled.
A short time after the accident oc-
Cured, second truck, coming be-
hind Rev. O'Donnell's car, was unable
to stop and crashed into the wreck
age. The impact badly damaged the
Cantine truck, which had overturned
m the crash. The second truck be-
longed to Philip Munsche who was
;eturning to Vesta from South ST.
Paul.
The first car to come by after the
accident was driven by travelling
man from Mankato. Philip Tillemans
who had been hurled through the top
of She,GBuick and to field on the
north side of the highway and Philip
Grandpre who though pinned in the
car, was able to crawl out, hailed the
driver, who went on to Morton and
got doctor. The hospital at Red
wood Falls was called at once and
the doctor and the travelling man
brought Rev. O'Donnell here at once
for attention.
He had been thrown through the
front of the car and must have sus-
tanned much of the force of impact
between the truck and car. He had
compound fractures of the skull and
of the jaw, broken neck and back, a
very bad fracture of the left leg, pro-
truding bones tearing the trousers
his right arm was broken and his col
larbone was broken on the left side
puncturng his left lung.
Philip Grandpre had been riding in
the front seat with Rev. O'Donnell
He received a slight cut on the chin
and splinter punctured his lip, loos-
ening and chipping several teeth
Philip Tillemans, though hurled
through the air and into field some
distance away, sustained only minor
bruises. Both boys returned to Min
neota on the bus Thursday evening.
DIR. James Hayes, brain spe-
cialist from Minneapolis, was called
and an operation was performed on
Continued on Page Seven)