Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-04
z HURT IN CRASH
AS A. A. A. SCORES
DEATH HIGHWAY
Auto Association BIames
Faulty Construction for
Accident Toll.
SLIPPERY PAVEMENT
SENDS CAR INTO POLE
Brentwood and Colmar Manor
Urge Improvement-Hearing
Set in Fatal Accident.
Two Maryland men narrowly escaped

Set IN katal Accident.
Two Maryland men narrowly escaped
the jaws of Defense Highways most
notorious death trap" this morning
in the latest of the highways acct
dents, which, a special accident re-
port study discloses, are principally
caused by faulty road construction.
The report, made by the American
Automobile Associations District Of
Columbia Motor Club. termed the road
itself the principal cause Of all the
fatalities and nearly so per cent Of
the injuries which have occurred on
Death Highway this year.
Coupled with today's accident, which
happened within a few feet of the
point where five persons were killed
in a bus-auto crash August 20, the
report further aroused public senti-
ment in behalf Of the campaign t.
widen and straighten the road.
Abnormally Slippery.
while the driver is at least part
responsible in nearly every accident.
the A. A. A. statement said, "repor
show clearly that the greater part c
the blame for the tragic state of al
fairs on the Defense Highway mus
be laid to construction.
I'm many places this highway be
comes abnormally slippery when we
and skidding on the wet surfac
caused all of the fatalities and 81 pc
cent of the injuries on the highwa.
this year.
IN addition. the narrowness Of the
road was a contributing factor In a
number of accidents, such as inter-
section crashes and failure to keep to
the right side of the road In only a
few accidents did the highway factor
fail to enter and the majority Of these
involved pedestrians.
These facts point to the necessity
Of adopting a two-point program to
correct the situation:
Roughening Urged.
First. adoption of emergency meas
ures to reduce road hazards imme-
diately. particularly through providing
non-skid surfaces at principal danger
points and improving the road shoul-
ders.
Second. widening and straighten-
| ing the road in order to eliminate its
many death traps permanently"
The clubs study showed accidents
have been concentrated at certain
danger spots in the neighborhood Of
Camp Parole, Collington and Bladens-
burg.
The prevalence Of accidents at
these sections should serve as a sharp
warning to motorists to exercise par
ticular caution when travelling in these
areas and also shows the points most
in need of emergency corrective meas
ures," the clubs statement declares.
Two Men Hurt.
Municipal groups furthered>the drive
in Prince Georges County for an i'm
proved highway by adopting resolu-
lions last night calling on the State
Roads Commission and Gov. Nice to
fight for Federal funds to construct a
safe. modern road in place Of the
| treacherous. obsolete highway
The victims Of today's accident were
John o. Filings, y, and Richard
Wagner. 81. employees Of The Crowns
vile State Hospital. Both were
treated by DR.. James H. Truitt OF
Glenn Dale for several head cuts and
possible internal injuries and taken
back to the hospital in the Glenn
Dale rescue squad ambulance.
Death Hearing Set
Meanwhile, q police court hearing
to fix the blame for the accident in
which Miss Ida Schartner. 81, of 1913
H street, was killed Sunday night was
set for September II by Justice Of the
Peace Louis A. Gundling of Lanham.
! Miss Schartner became the fifteenth
fatality of Death Highway" in Is
months when the automobile in which
she was riding left the road near
Mitchellville.
State Policeman J. c. Gates, who
investigated, obtained reckless driving
warrants yesterday from Judge Gund-
ling for Casper T. Fogle Of Clinton,
driver of the car In which Mrs. Sihart-
ner was riding, and Charles Brooks,
colored, OF Bowie, operator Of the 9TH
er car involved in the accident. Both
men are at liberty under bond.
Brentwood and Colmar Manor were
the municipalities which last night
urged State authorities to widen and
straighten the Defense Highway.
The Town Council of each COM
munity passed resolutions terming
the road a menace to the travelling
public and its improvement the most
urgently needed State project in this
vicinity.
Federal funds could not be spent to
better advantage than to save lives
and provide an adequate highway
link between Washington and An
napolis, the resolutions said.
Urge Full Width.
Colrnar Manor's Council also sug-
gested that the Roads Commission
use the full width Of its right-of-way
Of rs feet through that town. Mayor
John N. Torvestad said that "a
foot road instead Of the present 40
foot one, would facilitate the now OF
traffic between Bladensburg and the
District Line, and relieve congestion
at the Peace Cross "bottleneck."
Brentwood authorities, who have
proposed that the same objective be
accomplished through an extension of
william street and the construction
Of an underpaSs below the Baltimore
81 Ohio Railroad tracks, said they
would cooperate with other town.
county and State officials in any plan
that would relieve congestion and