Francis Martin, the four and a half year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Martin of the village of Au Sable Forks, New York, was fatally injured about 5 o'clock Friday afternoon, April 15, 1932, when he ran into the side of a truck of the New York State Gas and Electric Company as it was crossing the bridge over the west branch of the Au Sable river, death following about fifteen minutes after the accident.
The truck, with Romeo Leclerc at the wheel was proceeding north on Main street, and had entered the bridge only a few feet, when the victim of the accident, who was walking in the foot passage on the downstream side of the bridge, and only a few feet in front of the truck, darted between the uprights of the bridge and into the roadway of the structure. That LeClerc saw the boy as he ran into the roadway is apparent from the fact that he set the brakes of the truck and turned it from the side of the roadway into the center of the structure in an effort to avoid striking the little fellow.
The truck had proceeded about eighteen feet along the driveway of the bridge from where the boy ran into the roadway before it came to a standstill and the boy was picked up by Trooper H. G. Riese, who was only a few feet from the scene of the accident at the time it occurred. The boy was taken by the trooper to the office of Dr. G. J. Culver where he died a few minutes later and while the physician was making an examination of his injuries. Death was due to fracture of the skull.
After the death of the boy Dr. Culver, who is one of the coroners of Essex county, went to the scene of the accident and made an investigation of the sad affair. This investigation indicates that the boy ran into the rear wheel of the truck and became entangled in such a manner that his little body was carried on the wheel, the head striking the concrete flooring of the bridge with each revolution. This theory is borne out by the fact that there were five pools of blood on the flooring of the bridge, each about the same distance apart, and the distance being the approximate distance of the circumference of the wheel. Four of the pools of blood were small as if made as the head of the lad struck the pavement and the fifth, where the body was picked up by the trooper, was considerably larger.
H. A. Stutchbury, superintendent for the Associated Gas and Electric Company, a part of the New York State Gas and Electric system, was passing through Au Sable Forks en route from his home in Plattsburgh to Lake Placid, to attend a Masonic gathering, a few minutes after the accident, and he abandoned the Lake Placid meeting and spent the balance of the afternoon and early evening investigating the sad occurrence. It was definitely determined that the little fellow had noticed some of his youthful acquaintances on the opposite side of the bridge and had attempted to cross over to where they were playing and his death resulted.
Besides his father and mother, he is survived by two sisters, Miss Cecelia, who is training in the Albany City hospital, and Mrs. Bert Cross; two brothers, Howard and Leon.
The funeral of the little victim was held from Holy Name church in Au Sable Forks Sunday afternoon, April 17, 1932, and the interment was in Holy Name cemetery.
The truck, with Romeo Leclerc at the wheel was proceeding north on Main street, and had entered the bridge only a few feet, when the victim of the accident, who was walking in the foot passage on the downstream side of the bridge, and only a few feet in front of the truck, darted between the uprights of the bridge and into the roadway of the structure. That LeClerc saw the boy as he ran into the roadway is apparent from the fact that he set the brakes of the truck and turned it from the side of the roadway into the center of the structure in an effort to avoid striking the little fellow.
The truck had proceeded about eighteen feet along the driveway of the bridge from where the boy ran into the roadway before it came to a standstill and the boy was picked up by Trooper H. G. Riese, who was only a few feet from the scene of the accident at the time it occurred. The boy was taken by the trooper to the office of Dr. G. J. Culver where he died a few minutes later and while the physician was making an examination of his injuries. Death was due to fracture of the skull.
After the death of the boy Dr. Culver, who is one of the coroners of Essex county, went to the scene of the accident and made an investigation of the sad affair. This investigation indicates that the boy ran into the rear wheel of the truck and became entangled in such a manner that his little body was carried on the wheel, the head striking the concrete flooring of the bridge with each revolution. This theory is borne out by the fact that there were five pools of blood on the flooring of the bridge, each about the same distance apart, and the distance being the approximate distance of the circumference of the wheel. Four of the pools of blood were small as if made as the head of the lad struck the pavement and the fifth, where the body was picked up by the trooper, was considerably larger.
H. A. Stutchbury, superintendent for the Associated Gas and Electric Company, a part of the New York State Gas and Electric system, was passing through Au Sable Forks en route from his home in Plattsburgh to Lake Placid, to attend a Masonic gathering, a few minutes after the accident, and he abandoned the Lake Placid meeting and spent the balance of the afternoon and early evening investigating the sad occurrence. It was definitely determined that the little fellow had noticed some of his youthful acquaintances on the opposite side of the bridge and had attempted to cross over to where they were playing and his death resulted.
Besides his father and mother, he is survived by two sisters, Miss Cecelia, who is training in the Albany City hospital, and Mrs. Bert Cross; two brothers, Howard and Leon.
The funeral of the little victim was held from Holy Name church in Au Sable Forks Sunday afternoon, April 17, 1932, and the interment was in Holy Name cemetery.
Francis Martin, the four and a half year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Martin of the village of Au Sable Forks, New York, was fatally injured about 5 o'clock Friday afternoon, April 15, 1932, when he ran into the side of a truck of the New York State Gas and Electric Company as it was crossing the bridge over the west branch of the Au Sable river, death following about fifteen minutes after the accident.
The truck, with Romeo Leclerc at the wheel was proceeding north on Main street, and had entered the bridge only a few feet, when the victim of the accident, who was walking in the foot passage on the downstream side of the bridge, and only a few feet in front of the truck, darted between the uprights of the bridge and into the roadway of the structure. That LeClerc saw the boy as he ran into the roadway is apparent from the fact that he set the brakes of the truck and turned it from the side of the roadway into the center of the structure in an effort to avoid striking the little fellow.
The truck had proceeded about eighteen feet along the driveway of the bridge from where the boy ran into the roadway before it came to a standstill and the boy was picked up by Trooper H. G. Riese, who was only a few feet from the scene of the accident at the time it occurred. The boy was taken by the trooper to the office of Dr. G. J. Culver where he died a few minutes later and while the physician was making an examination of his injuries. Death was due to fracture of the skull.
After the death of the boy Dr. Culver, who is one of the coroners of Essex county, went to the scene of the accident and made an investigation of the sad affair. This investigation indicates that the boy ran into the rear wheel of the truck and became entangled in such a manner that his little body was carried on the wheel, the head striking the concrete flooring of the bridge with each revolution. This theory is borne out by the fact that there were five pools of blood on the flooring of the bridge, each about the same distance apart, and the distance being the approximate distance of the circumference of the wheel. Four of the pools of blood were small as if made as the head of the lad struck the pavement and the fifth, where the body was picked up by the trooper, was considerably larger.
H. A. Stutchbury, superintendent for the Associated Gas and Electric Company, a part of the New York State Gas and Electric system, was passing through Au Sable Forks en route from his home in Plattsburgh to Lake Placid, to attend a Masonic gathering, a few minutes after the accident, and he abandoned the Lake Placid meeting and spent the balance of the afternoon and early evening investigating the sad occurrence. It was definitely determined that the little fellow had noticed some of his youthful acquaintances on the opposite side of the bridge and had attempted to cross over to where they were playing and his death resulted.
Besides his father and mother, he is survived by two sisters, Miss Cecelia, who is training in the Albany City hospital, and Mrs. Bert Cross; two brothers, Howard and Leon.
The funeral of the little victim was held from Holy Name church in Au Sable Forks Sunday afternoon, April 17, 1932, and the interment was in Holy Name cemetery.
The truck, with Romeo Leclerc at the wheel was proceeding north on Main street, and had entered the bridge only a few feet, when the victim of the accident, who was walking in the foot passage on the downstream side of the bridge, and only a few feet in front of the truck, darted between the uprights of the bridge and into the roadway of the structure. That LeClerc saw the boy as he ran into the roadway is apparent from the fact that he set the brakes of the truck and turned it from the side of the roadway into the center of the structure in an effort to avoid striking the little fellow.
The truck had proceeded about eighteen feet along the driveway of the bridge from where the boy ran into the roadway before it came to a standstill and the boy was picked up by Trooper H. G. Riese, who was only a few feet from the scene of the accident at the time it occurred. The boy was taken by the trooper to the office of Dr. G. J. Culver where he died a few minutes later and while the physician was making an examination of his injuries. Death was due to fracture of the skull.
After the death of the boy Dr. Culver, who is one of the coroners of Essex county, went to the scene of the accident and made an investigation of the sad affair. This investigation indicates that the boy ran into the rear wheel of the truck and became entangled in such a manner that his little body was carried on the wheel, the head striking the concrete flooring of the bridge with each revolution. This theory is borne out by the fact that there were five pools of blood on the flooring of the bridge, each about the same distance apart, and the distance being the approximate distance of the circumference of the wheel. Four of the pools of blood were small as if made as the head of the lad struck the pavement and the fifth, where the body was picked up by the trooper, was considerably larger.
H. A. Stutchbury, superintendent for the Associated Gas and Electric Company, a part of the New York State Gas and Electric system, was passing through Au Sable Forks en route from his home in Plattsburgh to Lake Placid, to attend a Masonic gathering, a few minutes after the accident, and he abandoned the Lake Placid meeting and spent the balance of the afternoon and early evening investigating the sad occurrence. It was definitely determined that the little fellow had noticed some of his youthful acquaintances on the opposite side of the bridge and had attempted to cross over to where they were playing and his death resulted.
Besides his father and mother, he is survived by two sisters, Miss Cecelia, who is training in the Albany City hospital, and Mrs. Bert Cross; two brothers, Howard and Leon.
The funeral of the little victim was held from Holy Name church in Au Sable Forks Sunday afternoon, April 17, 1932, and the interment was in Holy Name cemetery.
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