The Kennewick Courier Reporter

CAR WRECK IS FATAL TO BOY

Truck Overturns Pinning Driver with Post Thru His Thigh

Fifteen year old Curtiss Owens, son of Mrs. Minnie Owens of Horse Heaven, a sophomore in the Kennewick high school, met with an accident on the Umatilla-Kennewick road about three o'clock Thursday, May 12, which proved fatal. The lad had just completed his high school work for this year and was returning to his home in the hills alone, driving a Ford truck.

He left Kennewick about 12 o'clock and on the way out had passed his brother who was coming to town. When about four miles out the machine became unmanageable. Curtis, who retained consciousness throughout was of the opinion he fell asleep for an instant, losing control. He had not been well for a few days previously, and his school activities were a tax on his vitality. The car, judging from its tracks, swung to the lower side of the road and rolled down a ten foot embankment, pinning the driver underneath with a two-by-four post through his thigh. The boy was unable to move or extricate himself at first. Then he noticed a wrench that had been flung from the tool box of the truck and lay within reach. Grasping this he set determinedly to work to take the post loose from the truck so that he might free himself. About this time a tourist passed on the road above, but the motorists gazed unseeingly at the overturned truck and gave no response to the desperate hail of the imprisoned boy.

Curtiss continued his efforts with the monkey wrench and succeeded in loosening the two nuts and withdrawing the beam from his leg. Half an hour later, so it was thought, another tourist came along and stopped.

The injured boy was rushed to town and placed under the care of physicians. Later he was taken to the Lynn hospital, south of town, where he remained until Monday afternoon. Dr. A. G. Tullar says that although the case was immediately recognized as a very serious one, the patient showed considerable improvement the first three days. It was believed that the lad would recover. Monday morning, however, found serious complications developing, and it seemed impossible to do anything. His parents were sent for and the boy removed to the hospital at Pasco. All efforts proved to be in vain. A few hours later he passed away. Dr. Tullar analyzes the causes of death as follows: Septic embolus of femoral vein or a clot of blood from the wound becoming loosened and re-lodging high up in abdominal veins, completely shutting off return circulation of entire leg.

Funeral services were held Wednesday in charge of Rev. Morton, the body being interred in Riverview Heights cemetery. He is survived by his mother, Mrs. Minnie Owens, four brothers and three sisters.