Tragic accident at Crystal Palace claimed women’s life
Today marks a rather solemn anniversary – that of England’s first fatal car crash, which occurred 114 years ago today in Crystal Palace in south-east London.
Back in 1896 there were fewer than two dozen petrol powered cars in the UK. Some of those vehicles formed part of a motoring exhibition taking place at Crystal Palace, including an imported Roger-Benz vehicle driven by a Mr Arthur Edsall. This vehicle, which on the day in question had a top speed of only around 4.5 miles per hour, was being driven along the Dolphin Terrace, which was an area to the rear of the main palace. At the same time, laborer’s wife Bridget Driscoll was in the area, attending a fete for the Catholic League of the Cross, accompanied by her daughter and a friend.
The accident took place as Mr Edsall was driving his vehicle along the Dolphin Terrace at a speed of about 4 miles per hour. According to Ellen Standing, a witness who was one of the passengers in the car, Mr Edsall shouted “stand back” to Mrs Driscoll, but unfortunately the woman seemed “bewildered” and did not move out of the way before being hit and knocked down.
At the inquest, there were many conflicting accounts of the accident circumstances, with some witnesses describing the vehicle as moving at tremendous speed, even though a later examination revealed it was only capable of a modest speed, having been modified to reduce its top speed from 8 mph to 4.5mph. Also, the timing of the accident was especially unfortunate as Mr Edsall had only been driving for about 3 weeks at the time (there was no driving test in 1896) and a new law relaxing the speed limit and removing the need for someone to walk in front of all motor vehicles had been introduced only weeks before Mrs Driscoll’s death. The coroner at the inquest into Mrs Driscoll’s death apparently commented that he hoped hers would be the last death in similar circumstances.
Car accident injury claims in the 21st century
Unfortunately, since Mrs Driscoll’s death, it is estimated that a further 500,000 people have lost their lives on Britain’s roads since then, with many times that number receiving injuries. If you have been involved in an accident on the road, or a family member has been killed or seriously injured in a road accident and you would like to find out more about making a compensation claim, the road accident solicitors here at Camps can help. Our legal teams are definitely not stuck in 1896 – when it comes to helping you to make your claim we will use the latest technology and the most up to date legal principles and precedents to make sure you get a better deal after the pain and inconvenience caused by your non-fault accident. What’s more, win or lose our No-Win No-Fee guarantee means you will not have to pay us a penny for our services.
Call 0800 092 8586
Speak to one of our claims advisors about your claim.
