Jane, the four-months-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kreider, of "The Heights," was fatally injured, and the parents and Miss Helen Light, the child's nurse, were slightly injured in a distressing automobile accident which occurred on the William Penn Highway, a short distance west of Annville. shortly before five o'clock, on Wednesday evening.
Collided With Street Car.
Mr. Kreider. who is manager of the Palmyra factory of the Kreider shoe company, was on his way. homeward from the plant with the other persons named, driving in his Cadillac Club roadster. They were coming down the hill entering the west end of Annville, when a main line street car going west started to mount the hill. The motorman and autoist both apparently relied upon the other to slow up or misjudged the speed of the other, for the two vehicles collided with awful force, and the automobile was sent swirling into the wheat field on the south side of the track, where it swung almost completely around, the flattened wheat stalks acting as a smooth carpet and preventing the car from upsetting.
Babe's Skull Fractured.
Miss Light, the nurse, had the infant in her arms as the car approached Annville, but when she saw that an impact: with the street car was iminent, she rose to place the babe in the sheltering arm's of the excited mother, but the movement was not quick enough, and when the crash took place she was jolted out of her position and as she and the infant lurched for a second out over the body of the car, the child's head was struck by the front of the street car. An ugly hole was inflicted and the skull was badly fractured.
As the nurse was seated on the left side of the car facing the danger, her presence of mind in trying to hand the child to the mother and get it out of harm's way, was regarded as out of the ordinary under such stress. That she escaped uninjured herself was little short of miraculous.
Brought to Hospital
A passing motorist offered his services and in his machine the mother, nurse and child were rushed to the Good Samaritan hospital. The father was picked up by another motorist and was taken to the home of his father, Congressman A. S. Kreider, at the east end of Annville, where he procured another machine, and hurried here to the hospital.
Dr. A. L. Hauer, of Third and Cumberland streets, was on the scene by the time the first party arrived at the hospital, but his efforts were unavailing so far as the babe was concerned, for it died a few minutes after the institution was reached.
The nurse was practically unhurt, and Mrs. Kreider suffered only bruises and several contusions in addition to a terrific nervous shock, the latter condition probably having been responsible for the rumor that she had been dangerously hurt.
Mr. Kreider suffered a number of lacerations about the face and the hands from broken glass.
Besides the parents, the infant leaves a two year old brother.
Lebanon Daily News - Thursday, June 16, 1921