First UK pedestrian killed by carIn 1896, the first pedestrian killed by a motor vehicle in Britain was Mrs Bridget Driscoll of Croydon, Surrey. While on a terrace in the grounds of Crystal Palace, London, she was knocked down by a car travelling at 4 mph, and died minutes later of head injuries. The car, owned by the Anglo-French Motor Car (Roger-Benz) Company, was giving demonstration rides to the public, driven by employee Arthur Edsell. It was said that he was talking to the young lady passenger beside him. He had had been driving for only 3 weeks, and had tempered with a belt to cause the car to travel faster. After a six-hour inquest, the jury's verdict was "Accidental Death," and no prosecution resulted against the driver or the company. The first car-driver crash fatality in Britain occurred on 12 Feb 1898.« |
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