Evening star., 1941-04-24
Concrete Truck
And Streetcdr
Crash, Hurting 5
Mixer Overturned
And Rush-Hour
Traffic Is SnurIed

y
concrete mixer and a streetcar in
the 600 block of Independence
avenue S.W.. five persons were in
jured, the mixer was overturned and
badly damaged and rush-hour traf-
fic was snarled.
Five persons were treated for cuts
and bruises. They we're the street.
car motorman, L. S. White, 80; Mrs.
Edna Kelos, 3S, of 627 E street NV;
Mrs. Lucy Moore, 72, of 3O36 NJ street
Sc; Ruth Van Pelt, II, of 1905
South Carolina avenue Sc. and Miss
Mildred Feldman. %. of 1921
Twenty eighth street Sc.
The concrete mixer, according to
police. was driven by Michael w.
Donahue. 30. OF 24O4 Minnesota
avenue Sc, and was backing at the
time the accident occurred.
collision between two automo-
bileS at Twenty third street and
Constitution avenue NV, at 11:45
o'clock last night, caused minor in
jurieS to three young women. The
injured were Marjorie Duffy %, Of
Chicago and Helen Bentley, %, and
Rose M Littler, 19, both of 2300
K street NE.
Two Truck Drivers Held.
A coroners jury. sitting in the
city's 26th and 9th traffic fatality
cases of the year, stayed in the
District Morgue for nearly six hours
yesterday hearing testimony and
celebrating, and when its work was
done two young truck drivers, one
of whom figured in an identity mix
up. had been held for Police Court
action under the Negligent Homi-
eide Act.
James Robert Reid. 19. of Brook
mont, Nd, was bound over to the
court in connection with the death
of Leon Thomas, 7, colored, of the
1900 block of Thirty-second street
NV. Sunday night in the $500 block
of M street NV, and Carl M. Err
coli. %, of 1918 Thrtieth street NV.
was held for the death of Robert
Cleveland Wayland. 27. of 2424
Pennsylvania avenue NV. yester-
day at New Hampshire avenue and
M street NV.
Testimony Reveals Identity.
Young Reid did not become the
technical defendant in the case of
the Thomas child until inquest tes-
timony began. for the police Incl
/ dental, as read by Coroner A. Ma
gruder Macdonald at the outset of
of the proceeding, listed William S.
Hart, 10. of Brookmont as the driver
Of the delivery truck which struck
and fatally injured the colored boy,
When H. D. johnson, co-owner Of
/ the vehicle, took the stand, however,
he explained the Hart youth was
/ his foster son and was not the
driver in custody. The latter, Mr..
johnson declared, was young Reid,
a nephew.
Shortly thereafter Police 1t. Will
liam J. Liverman, chief investigator
OF the accident prevention unit, told
the jury the driver, held by Police
since Tuesday afternoon. had come
| TO him in the lobby of the Morgue
10 minutes before the inquest began
and admitted he was Reid and not
Hart, as he had averred repeatedly
in previous statements to police.
/ Tells of Taking Permit.
When he took the stand in his
own behalf young Reid said he had
taken the truck and the permit of
Hart, his roommate in the johnson
home, while the other boy and Mr.,
| johnson were out.
! Asked by Coroner Macdonald WHY
he used the truck without permis-
sion. the driver replied he had TO
go to an address in the Southeast
every week"
/ Pressed as to why he was Obliged
TO do so, he explained he was mar
( ried but unable to live with his
wife and crossed the city regularly
10 take her money to help support
their child.
In relating his version of the acci-
dent, the driver maintained he had
not seen the victim before the i'm
pact and that his first knowledge
he had struck some one came when
he felt bump. and, looking into
the rear-vieW mirror, noticed an
object in the street and people
running toward it, He estimated
the vehicles speed at about 25 miles
per hour
+ I've been driving since I was g.
young Reid responded when the
coroner asked his experience.
Weighs Testimony As Minutes.
The jury considered the testimony
As minutes Later it took almost
two and half hours to reach a
decision in the case of Mr.. Wayland,
who died instantly of a crushed
skull when run over by a heavy
concrete mixer truck operated by
Mr.. Ercoli.
The driver did not testify, but
police witnesses said he had told
them he saw the pedestrian when
the truck was about 35 feet away
and that the victim was looking in
the direction opposite to that from
which the mixer was coming. Mr..
Ercoli applied the brakes, but al
most Immediately felt an impact
and then bump, police said he had
related.