Cooper Mishap Wrecks Car Butler County Kansas Genealogy Trails

Escapes Injury In Auto Mishap On State Street

Bill Cooper Hits Truck Projected Out Into Street

Shears Side of Car

An accident that might have been Augusta’s most serious results in but a shaking-up to the driver last night about 11 o’clock when Bill Cooper, driving his 1947 Plymouth tudor hit a truck projected out into the street in front of the Augusta hotel.

The truck, a late model Chevrolet 1 ½-ton with large bed, is said to be owned by Fred Louia who lives at the hotel and works at an airplane factory in Wichita.

The rear of the truck projecting about six feet past cars on either side of it could not be seen distinctly by the driver going south, as it “blended” in with the other cars parked at the curb. Street lighting in this area was not bright enough to show the hazard and no lights or reflectors were on the rear of the truck that could be seen from the north approach, it was reported.

Cooper Unhurt

Although the car was “sheared” down the right side where the ironbound truck bed ripped through the body, and the right half of the windshield and right glasses shattered, Cooper walked from the wreckage dazed but unhurt as the car finally came to a stop of its own accord in front of the Augusta theatre.

“I am certainly glad the show wasn’t just changing,” Cooper remarked this morning. This fact probably prevented a major tragedy. Dazed by the impact, Cooper had no control of the car as it traveled on up State street, sideswiped another car, turned west just in time to avoid hitting the street lamp in front of the Charm beauty shop, traveled up the middle of the sidewalk for about 100 feet before it turned off again, hitting the fender of another car and stopping in front of the theatre. No one was in the path of the car.

A Howard wrecker pulled the Plymouth to their lot at the corner of State and Fourth streets. (Augusta Daily Gazette ~ Friday, 11 Feb 1949)