Introduction After drinking a couple of beers we headed back to Beverly. Dick was driving very fast. When we got to the Lynn Drive-In Movie, it was just getting over; our lane was blocked by cars. Because Dick was driving so fast he had to go onto the medium strip and hit several reflectors in the process. When we got near the entrance of Salem hospital the tire blew out, car went into the ditch and hit the telephone pole. (I do not remember this).
The first thing I remember is someone talking to me, telling me everything will be OK and that help was on the way. I could not see because of the blood and an injury to my eye. Individual kept talking to me until I was put into the ambulance.
The first thing I remember in the Emergency Room was the doctor saying I was going to lose my eye and the other doctor saying lets wait a day. (Many thanks to the second doctor because today I have no problems). The second thing I remember was hearing a nurse talking with an AP reporter and telling him that two had died.
I was then put on a gurney to be taken to a 3rd floor ward (8 people in this ward; times have changed - no hospital has wards today). In the elevator something happened to me which is hard to describe; I "saw something in the lights" and tried to grab it. I fell off the gurney onto the floor - the two student nurses panicked because they had forgot to strap me down. They had a hard time getting me back on the gurney and I started to bleed again. They pleaded with me not to tell anyone because they would get kicked out of school. I said OK and did I get great service from all the student nurses for the next several weeks.
They did not find Jack Egan until the wrecker truck was getting ready to tow the car away. Some how he got trapped behind the gas tank and they did not know it until he came to and screamed for help and in pain. I am not sure how long he was there before they found him.
When Jack got to the ward he did not know about the other two so I told him. At that point he was in so much pain he was unable to express any feelings. Other then given Jack some pain medicine his injuries had not been treated - not sure they knew what to do and were waiting for other doctors.
My injuries: they were mainly concerned about saving my eye but I kept telling them the greatest pain was in my left leg. Several days later after my leg had swelled in sized did they get concerned about the blood clot. (Had this problem 20 years later, same leg and location). Now comes the part I hated the most - three times per day just before each meal a nurse would come to draw blood. It wasn't long before they couldn't find a vein. Started taking it from toes, eyes and other body locations. To this day I have an extreme concern about needles.
Jack spent several months in the hospital and lost so much school time that he had to attend school the next year and graduated with the class of 1961. I had to attend school every day until the end of school (4:00 p.m.) to make up my time. My class picture was taken on my first day back to school and I didn't have time for a hair cut - when anyone sees that picture today I have to explain that was not my hair style.
You mentioned the Phil Carlton conversation with Dick about the tires*1. The tires were all very bad. During this time period you had to get a safety sticker every year for your car. Just that week Dick had his car inspected and got his safety sticker. Later, the state found out he paid the garage to over look the bad tires telling them he was going to get new ones soon. The state police sent in undercover individuals with cars that had safety problems and everyone got their cars OK'd. He was arrested, found quilty. I do no know what sentence he received.
Some additional items regarding this event:
I was sitting in the back seat of the car, right side. This was a two door car with small door windows. The police were puzzled on how I got thrown from the car, they knew I did not go out the front window. After several hours of questions it was determined the following: I had become very nervous and started to twirl my ring (which I now do all the time) and dropped it on the car floor, while looking for it the tire blew, hit the pole, and I was in the 'perfect' position to go out the side door window. The police said because of the window size the exit had to be just perfect. Police did find my broken ring.1961 was the last time I saw Jack Egan until 1970 after graduating from college and working three years for the Providence, RI. YMCA. It was our last day in Providence, we were waiting for the moving truck to load up and move us to Ann Arbor, MI. I was waiting in a bar in Cranston, RI for my wife to get out of her last day of teaching when someone came up from behind and hit me on the back - it was Jack Egan, he lived in Providence and was working for Goodyear Tire Co. We only had a few minutes to talk. Over the years I had tried to contact him with no success. From your email I now may understand why *2.
My 1st day working for the Ann Arbor, Michigan YMCA an individual who was teaching quitar to kids at the Y walked up to me, asked if I was the Stetson from Beverly, MA and was I in a car accident in Salem. This was the individual who talked with me while I was lying in the grass after the accident (this is now 10 years after the accident). Later that night I met him in a college bar he owned with a partner. Spent several hours talking about the accident and the North Shore etc. Later that night while he was driving home he fell asleep at the wheel, crashed and was killed. (He did not drink).
I graduated from college in Minn (2 other Beverly grads followed me to MN) and University of Michigan. Worked for the YMCA 36 years living in Providence, RI., Ann Arbor, MI., Knoxville, TN., and ending up in Muncie, IN. Two children; son Mike works for INSight Corp selling software to Ohio colleges & govts; daughter Natalie is a physical therapis at a local hospital. Four grandchildren ages 2 - 17. I am still healthy and strongly state life has been very good.
Don Stetson, October 2008
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KILLED |
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Richard Perkins |
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Richard Dansreau |
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SURVIVED |
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Don Stetson |
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Jack Egan |
