100 years ago in Spokane: With more people buying cars, the sometimes deadly toll of driving was becoming clear

As autos proliferated and their top speeds increased, accidents were becoming more deadly.

Three incidents in one day resulted in two deaths in the region.

At the intersection of Trent and Madelia, an 18-year-old high school senior struck and killed Nels Johnson, 58, a tailor.

Johnson was walking across the street when he suddenly reversed direction and stepped in front of the car.

The young driver told police she hit the brakes as soon as she could. She stopped to aid the fallen man and was “almost hysterical with fright and grief.” After Johnson was taken to the hospital, she drove to the police station and reported the accident.

Police were “inclined to believe her blameless.”

In Cheney, a young woman student at the state normal school (today’s Eastern Washington University) was run down by a truck, whose driver sped off. Passersby rushed her to the hospital, where she was recovering.

The third incident, which occurred near Addy, featured an unusual combination of circumstances. Rural mail carrier Jacob Thon’s automobile plunged off the road and into a barbed wire fence.

He was not injured in the accident. But as he tried to “pry the machine out,” he slipped and fell. His head struck a rock, breaking his neck.

He died instantly.