The Pomeroy Herald
Thursday, July 16, 1908
page five
FATAL ACCIDENT
A fatal and very sad accident befell John Folkerts Monday afternoon about 4 o'clock when he was struck by a motor car on the railroad track and his body was mangled so badly that he died two hours later. The particulars seem to be about as follows. He had been east of Pomeroy about a mile and a half watching the dredge boat at work and was just starting home, walking along the track. The motor car of the I. C. Railroad, which is used by the telephone inspectors, was coming from the east at a fare rate of speed, and the occupants of the car say they saw the man near the track and blew their whistle but did not try to stop at once as the old gentleman was not close enough to the track to be in any danger but when they were nearly to him he stepped upon the track directly in front of the car, they then put on the brakes and did everything in their power to stop the car besides whistling and yelling at him. Two of the men leaned forward on the car and tried to lift him up, but failed, and he was struck violently, knocked down and run over. One limb was broken above the knee and the other was badly crushed, the left wrist mangled and his head cut, and possibly he was injured internally. The telephone men loaded the injured man upon their car and hurried to town and with the help of a few willing hands he was carried home. Dr. Martin, the I.C. surgeon, was summoned and found the facts to be as stated above.
Mr. Folkerts lived but a little over two hours. He came here from Germany and was about 75 years old and was an industrious hard working man. He leaves an aged wife and several grown sons and daughters, all of whom are married.
This terrible accident has thrown a mantle of sorrow over the entire community. Opinion is divided in reference to whether the railroad men were to blame or not. The unfortunate man was quite deaf and this fact accounts for his not hearing the warning whistles. In one sense it would seem that they might have stopped sooner but on the other hand the victim was not on the track but at the side of it, until just before the car reached him.
Thursday, July 16, 1908
page five
FATAL ACCIDENT
A fatal and very sad accident befell John Folkerts Monday afternoon about 4 o'clock when he was struck by a motor car on the railroad track and his body was mangled so badly that he died two hours later. The particulars seem to be about as follows. He had been east of Pomeroy about a mile and a half watching the dredge boat at work and was just starting home, walking along the track. The motor car of the I. C. Railroad, which is used by the telephone inspectors, was coming from the east at a fare rate of speed, and the occupants of the car say they saw the man near the track and blew their whistle but did not try to stop at once as the old gentleman was not close enough to the track to be in any danger but when they were nearly to him he stepped upon the track directly in front of the car, they then put on the brakes and did everything in their power to stop the car besides whistling and yelling at him. Two of the men leaned forward on the car and tried to lift him up, but failed, and he was struck violently, knocked down and run over. One limb was broken above the knee and the other was badly crushed, the left wrist mangled and his head cut, and possibly he was injured internally. The telephone men loaded the injured man upon their car and hurried to town and with the help of a few willing hands he was carried home. Dr. Martin, the I.C. surgeon, was summoned and found the facts to be as stated above.
Mr. Folkerts lived but a little over two hours. He came here from Germany and was about 75 years old and was an industrious hard working man. He leaves an aged wife and several grown sons and daughters, all of whom are married.
This terrible accident has thrown a mantle of sorrow over the entire community. Opinion is divided in reference to whether the railroad men were to blame or not. The unfortunate man was quite deaf and this fact accounts for his not hearing the warning whistles. In one sense it would seem that they might have stopped sooner but on the other hand the victim was not on the track but at the side of it, until just before the car reached him.
The Pomeroy Herald
Thursday, July 16, 1908
page five
FATAL ACCIDENT
A fatal and very sad accident befell John Folkerts Monday afternoon about 4 o'clock when he was struck by a motor car on the railroad track and his body was mangled so badly that he died two hours later. The particulars seem to be about as follows. He had been east of Pomeroy about a mile and a half watching the dredge boat at work and was just starting home, walking along the track. The motor car of the I. C. Railroad, which is used by the telephone inspectors, was coming from the east at a fare rate of speed, and the occupants of the car say they saw the man near the track and blew their whistle but did not try to stop at once as the old gentleman was not close enough to the track to be in any danger but when they were nearly to him he stepped upon the track directly in front of the car, they then put on the brakes and did everything in their power to stop the car besides whistling and yelling at him. Two of the men leaned forward on the car and tried to lift him up, but failed, and he was struck violently, knocked down and run over. One limb was broken above the knee and the other was badly crushed, the left wrist mangled and his head cut, and possibly he was injured internally. The telephone men loaded the injured man upon their car and hurried to town and with the help of a few willing hands he was carried home. Dr. Martin, the I.C. surgeon, was summoned and found the facts to be as stated above.
Mr. Folkerts lived but a little over two hours. He came here from Germany and was about 75 years old and was an industrious hard working man. He leaves an aged wife and several grown sons and daughters, all of whom are married.
This terrible accident has thrown a mantle of sorrow over the entire community. Opinion is divided in reference to whether the railroad men were to blame or not. The unfortunate man was quite deaf and this fact accounts for his not hearing the warning whistles. In one sense it would seem that they might have stopped sooner but on the other hand the victim was not on the track but at the side of it, until just before the car reached him.
Thursday, July 16, 1908
page five
FATAL ACCIDENT
A fatal and very sad accident befell John Folkerts Monday afternoon about 4 o'clock when he was struck by a motor car on the railroad track and his body was mangled so badly that he died two hours later. The particulars seem to be about as follows. He had been east of Pomeroy about a mile and a half watching the dredge boat at work and was just starting home, walking along the track. The motor car of the I. C. Railroad, which is used by the telephone inspectors, was coming from the east at a fare rate of speed, and the occupants of the car say they saw the man near the track and blew their whistle but did not try to stop at once as the old gentleman was not close enough to the track to be in any danger but when they were nearly to him he stepped upon the track directly in front of the car, they then put on the brakes and did everything in their power to stop the car besides whistling and yelling at him. Two of the men leaned forward on the car and tried to lift him up, but failed, and he was struck violently, knocked down and run over. One limb was broken above the knee and the other was badly crushed, the left wrist mangled and his head cut, and possibly he was injured internally. The telephone men loaded the injured man upon their car and hurried to town and with the help of a few willing hands he was carried home. Dr. Martin, the I.C. surgeon, was summoned and found the facts to be as stated above.
Mr. Folkerts lived but a little over two hours. He came here from Germany and was about 75 years old and was an industrious hard working man. He leaves an aged wife and several grown sons and daughters, all of whom are married.
This terrible accident has thrown a mantle of sorrow over the entire community. Opinion is divided in reference to whether the railroad men were to blame or not. The unfortunate man was quite deaf and this fact accounts for his not hearing the warning whistles. In one sense it would seem that they might have stopped sooner but on the other hand the victim was not on the track but at the side of it, until just before the car reached him.
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