Gravel Contractor Killed in Train Collision
A Hanford man died instantly after his truck was struck by a freight train at a Walla Walla rail crossing.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
C. G. Root, formerly of Hanford, was instantly killed Saturday afternoon when a Ford truck he was driving was struck by a Northern Pacific freight train switching in the yards at Walla Walla. The accident occurred at the Ninth street crossing. Sara Lanphere, also of Hanford, who was in the truck with Mr. Root, escaped with severe bruises. Testimony at the inquest indicated the train was moving slowly, and the driver apparently did not see the train until nearly at the crossing. Mr. Root, 47, was a World War veteran who held a sub-contract for gravel crushing. The coroner’s jury found the accident unavoidable and absolved the train crew of all blame.
“The rear end of the truck was demolished and Mr. Root was apparently crushed by the impact.”
Accidents at rail crossings were common headlines in the early era of motorized transport. The exoneration of the railroad company at the inquest mirrors common contemporary legal patterns regarding industrial liability.
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