Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1950-01-21

anything can happen IN that split second
OF crash, even those lucky escapes you hear
about. People have dived through wind
shields and come out with only superficial
scratches. They have run cars together
head on, reducing both to twisted junk, and
been found unhurt and arguing bitterly two
minutes afterward. But death was there
Just the same-he was only exercising his
privilege of being cratic This spring a
wrecking crew pried the door off car which
had been overturned down an embankment
and out stepped the driver with only scratch
on his cheek. But his mother was still in
side, a splinter of wood from the top driven
four inches into her brain as a result OF sons
taking a greasy curve a little too fast. No
blood-no horribly twisted bones-just a
gray-haired corpse still clutching her pocket
book in her lap as she had cutched it when
she felt the car leave the road.
On that same curve month later, a
light touring car crashed into a tree. In
the middle of the front seat they found a
nine months-old baby surrounded by broken
glass and yet absolutely unnurt. fine
practical joke on death-but spoiled by the
baby's parents, still sitting on each side OF
him, killed instantly by SCATTERING their
skulls on the dashboard
il you customarily pass without clear
vision long way ahead, make sure that
every member of the party carries identltl-
cation papers-it's difficult to Identify a
body with its whole face dashed in or torn
off The driver is deaths favorite target.
If the steering wheel holds together it rup-
lures his liver or spleen so he bleeds to death
internally Or if the steering wheel breaks
off, the matter is settled instantly by the
steering columns plunging through his alb
dOmen.
By no means do all observation-disclosures Oc-
cur on curves. The modern death-trap Is
likely to be a straight stretch with three
lanes of traffic-like the notorious Astor
Flats on the Albany Post Road where there
have been as many as II fatalities IN one
summer month. This sudden vision of broad,
straight road tempts many an ordinarily
sensible driver into passing the man ahead
simultaneously a driver coming the other
way swings out at high speed. At the last
moment each tries TO get into line again,
but the gaps are closed. AS the cars in line
are forced into the ditch to capsize or crash
fences the paSSers meet, almost head on, IN
a swirling, grinding smash that sends them
carOming ObliQuely into the others
trooper described such an accident
five cars in one mess, seven killed on the
spot, two dead on the way to the hospital,
two more dead in the long run. He remem-
bered it far more wildly than he wanted
tO-the quick way the doctor turned from
the dead man to check up on a woman with
q broken back. the three bodies out of one
car so soaked with oil from the crankcase
that they looked ike wet brown cigars and
not human at ALL man walking around
and babbling to himself, obliViOuS Of the dead
and dying, even oblivious of the dagger-llke
silver of steel that stuck out of his stream
ing wrist; pretty girl with her forehead
laid open, trying hopelessy to crawl out OF
a ditch in spite of her smashed hip. A first
class massacre of that sort is only question
of scale and numbers-seven corpses are no
deader than one Each shattered man, WO-
man Or child who went to make up the $4,000
corpses chalked up last year had to die d
personal death.
A car careening and rolling down bank,
battering and smashing it's occupants every
inch OF the way, can wrap itself so thor
oughy around a tree that front and rear
bumpers interlock, requiring an acetylene
loren to cut them apart. In a recent case
OF that sort they found the old lady, VINO
had been sitting IN back, lying across The
lap Of her daughter, who was IN 'front.' each
soaked IN her own and the others blood IN
olstmguIShaDly, each SO shattered and Drok-
en- that there was no point whatever IN an
autopsy to determine whether 1t was broken
neck or ruptured heart that caused death.
Overturnlng cars specialize in certain in
JurleS. Cracked pelvls, tor instance, guar
anteeIng agonlzlng months in bed, notion
less, perhaps crippled for llte-Droken spine
resulting from Sneer S1QeWlSe tWlSt-tne
MINOR "details of smashed knees and splln-
Tered shoulder blades caused by crashing
INTO the side of the car as she goes over
with the SWIRL of an insane roller coaster
and the letnal consequences OF broken ribs,
WnIcn puncCure hearts and lungs with their
raw enus. Inc consequent internal hemor-
rnage is no less dangerous because it Is the
pieurai instead OF the abdominal cavity that
Is filling with blood.
flylng giass-safety glass is by no means
universal yet-contributes much more than
us snare to the spectacular side of accidents.
It doesn't merely cut-the fragments are
ay L., Id hoy,