Shelby County Indiana
Newspaper Articles
Richmond
The Shelbyville News
Page 1
Monday, September 21, 1964
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AUTO CRASH CLAIMS
LIVES OF CITY MEN
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Don Richmond,
Carl J. Glidden
Die in Wreck
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Shelbyville was a stunned and sorrowed community today in the wake of a weekend which saw the lives of two of its prominent younger businessmen snuffed out in a shattering one-car crash against a utility pole in Decatur County early Sunday morning.
The victims, who were next-door neighbors were:
Donald L. Richmond, 36
229 W. Washington St.
Carl J. (Pete) Glidden, 38,
219 W. Washington St.
Both were believed killed instantly in the crash near Greensburg and death was attributed to multiple internal injuries by Dr. William R. Shaffer, Decatur County coroner.
The station wagon in which the two were riding struck the pole with such impact that the car was literally wrapped around the pole, with the men's bodies pinned between the pole and the seat of the vehicle.
State Officer Hugh Chambers, Westport, who investigated the accident, said the 1964 station wagon, registered to the Jester Realty Co. of Shelbyville, was being driven by Mr. Glidden.
Chambers said it was airborne when it struck the pole with the roof slamming tinto the pole at the point where it joind the windshield immediately above the two occupants. One of the front wing windows was left imbedded in the pole nearly eight feet from the ground.
(Pictures on Page 10)
Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene but it took nearly four hours of work before the bodies could be extricated from the wreckage.
The crash occurred just over four miles northwest of Greensburg on Old U.S. 421 about 5:10 a.m.
The two men had left Shelbyville for an early trip to Madison where Mr. Richmond owned a cabin cruiser which he was considering selling. It was understood he planned to show it to a prosepctive buyer Sunday morning.
The crash, however, occurred as the station wagon was traveling toward Shelbyville, rather than toward Madison. Why the car was enroute northwest probably will never be known, although there was speculation the men might have forgotten something in connection with the planned boat transaction and had turned around at Greensburg to return here.
Albert Bruner of Shelbyville told officers he was eating breakfast in a restaurant in Greensburg and saw the auto headed toward Shelbyville. En route in this direction himself, he came upon the scene of the accident a short time later.
At the scene of the accident the highway runs generally north and south. The car apparently was traveling at a high rate of speed, Trooper Chambers said, and went off the west or left side of the raod for a distance of 116 feet. It then went back onto the road and into the northbound traffic lane for 228 feet before again going off the west side of the raod and into a ditch. It traveled down the ditch 57 feet before turning sideways, flipping into the air and striking the pole, the officer's report showed.
It also was reported there was considerable fog along the road at the time of the crash.
The tragedy left eight children fatherless. Mr. Richmond is survived by six children, Mr. Glidden by two.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming
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