دانلود

The world’s first automobile fatality

Isabelle Fallon, Desmond O’Neill .

Department of Medical Gerontology, Trinity College Dublin, Adelaide and Meath Hospital Dublin, Dublin 24, Ireland

Received 4 February 2005; accepted 24 February 2005

Accident Analysis and Prevention 37 (2005) 601–603

Abstract

The first recorded automobile fatality occurred in a small town in the Irish Midlands in 1869. MaryWard, a celebrated microscopist, artist, astronomer and naturalist, fell from a steam carriage and died after crush injuries from its heavy iron wheels. The story of first automobile fatality characterizes the individual tragedy that is each premature death. It also illuminates the story of a remarkable Victorian scientific family. Among their many achievements was the building of a reflector telescope in the heart of rural Ireland that was the largest in the world for 74 years.

© 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Automobiles; Accidents; Traffic; History of medicine