Britains 1st Car Crash Fatality
Purley, Surrey The 12th of February 1898 AD
To Mr Henry Lindfield of Brighton goes the dubious honour of being the first known driver to be killed as the result of a car crash. Driving his electric vehicle – we seem to be going back to the future – Mr Lindfield’s accident at Purley Corner in Surrey was caused, according to a subsequent report in Autocar, by his excessive speed – the madman was driving at up to 17mph when he lost control, span the car right round, and smashed off the road and into an iron pole.
Strangely Mr Lindfield was a sales representative for International Cars, but he was still a novice driver on only his second or third outing in the vehicle. The crash resulted in a severed artery, forcing surgeons to amputate his leg, and it was shock from the operation that finished him. His teenage son was a passenger on the fateful trip, but was thrown clear when the car crashed and escaped with little more than bruising.
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