It was July 1954 in Indiana, the corn in the fields around my hometown of Lafayette, Indiana was high, and my older brother Warren, then 12 years old, was playing on the Little League All-Star team in a regional tournament in Logansport, Indiana. I was 8. Multiple cars were taking the team to Logansport, including me as a spectator. The Agricultural County Agent my Dad was working with that day was going to drop him off in Delphi, Indiana, so one of the cars could pick him up and take him to the game. Dad never made it to Delphi.
Dad and the County Agent were almost to Delphi when they came to a crossroads with corn growing right up to the road edge on each corner, which was common in Indiana. Dad’s driver had stopped at the corner and started to cross the intersection when out of nowhere a car hit them broadside on Dad’s side of the car. In that car were a couple of ladies who were trying out a new car with a car salesman, and they had blown through the intersection. This was a time of no seat belts and Dad flew out of the car, went through a barbed wire fence, and hit his head on a large rock. He was in serious shape and unconscious.
My brother remembers at the time being just south of Delphi when the car he was in met an ambulance traveling south toward Lafayette at a high rate of speed with flashers and sirens howling. He remembers a remark made that someone was in serious trouble, not knowing at the time it was our Dad. We went on to the game and when we got there my brother noticed a stillness around him and a lot of people looking at him. The coaches and team had been told what had happened and they did not want to tell him and upset his play. The problem was the whole team was upset. They were favored to win but played the game out of sorts. A routine fly ball would drop between outfielders, players didn’t concentrate. The whole game was like that and Lafayette lost. Following the game, the coach said he needed to talk to my brother, took him aside to tell him my Dad had been in an accident, and told him he would take us straight home. I either overheard that conversation or was told separately. We still had not put the ambulance and accident together.
When we got home there were some neighbors there, Mom was at the hospital, and it was pretty somber. When Mom came home, she was pretty upset as the doctors had told her there was a good chance Dad would not make it. Going through the barbed wire fence ripped up his face with his scalp cut front to rear and hanging off to one side. He ended up with over 90 stitches in his face and head. When he hit the ground and his head hit a rock, it cleaved off a little of the skull in the back, and the hair never grew back. He had broken ribs, one arm, and a lot of deep bruises. The doctors told my Mom she should go home and get out all our life insurance policies and get our finances in order. Mom let the neighbors know what was going on. They saw the traffic at our house.
A neighbor who lived across the street called Mom to tell her they had contacted a registered critical care nurse they knew who had a lot of experience in these kinds of cases. While we never knew for sure, the neighbor paid for the nurse. The nurse agreed to go to the hospital to see what she could do for Dad. This made Mom feel a lot better, although she was still calling the bank and insurance companies. He was also still unconscious, but every day he lived increased his chances of survival. My brother believes the special nurse stayed a few days straight sleeping in Dad’s room. Everyone involved feels the nurse saved Dad’s life. Dad was unconscious for 30 days and by the time he woke up his bones had healed, the stitches had done their work, and he didn’t feel anything from the bruises.
During this period of time, the women at church and the Purdue Agronomy Department where my Dad worked had organized a food brigade and we never ate better. We found out then that people who bring you food only bring the best thing they are known for. Volunteers washed the dishes, and clothes and vacuumed the house so Mom could spend time at the hospital, although she was not able to talk with Dad.
Warren and my oldest brother Steve had started junior high school, I was in elementary school, my sister Laurie was 5 years old and my youngest brother Greg was not yet a year old. We never realized how desperate a situation the family was in those first few weeks following his accident. I remember during that time sitting outside the house backdoor with a hammer slowly chipping a concrete block. My Mom and my aunt opened the door and asked me what was wrong. I remember asking what would happen to me and seeing my Mom turn very sad, although overall she was very stable and in control throughout the ordeal.
When Dad finally regained consciousness, he had a problem the doctors thought might be serious. He was seeing double and thought he was still in Vermont. He kept asking where the nurses were from and could not understand why they were not French-Canadian nurses like in Vermont. I am not sure he ever had a recollection of the accident and how badly he had been injured. A neurosurgeon was brought in from Indianapolis to look Dad over for brain injuries and, in the process, he needed to take a sample of spinal fluid. As soon as the spine was tapped, Dad’s double vision reversed and his knowledge of the surroundings got better. The surgeon said there was nothing for him to do at this point other than let him recover.
By this time, Dad’s medical leave days off from Purdue had expired and his boss came to the hospital to see Dad calling it consulting. When Dad was finally on his feet his boss put a roll-away bed in Dad’s office where he could lie down. Mom would take him to work and pick him up and he would rest a lot in his office. His secretary screened a lot of his calls getting back to those calling with a short answer. Of course, everyone he worked with by now had heard about the accident. We don’t remember if anyone else in Dad’s car or the other car was also hurt in the accident. We never did hear from the ladies that hit Dad’s car, but that was probably on the advice of their attorney. At first, when Dad got home from the office he had to lie down, but enjoyed the food that was still coming in. He slowly gained his strength back and was able to enjoy his family again making pretty much a full recovery.
As I look back, I realize how different my family’s life would have been had my Dad died in the accident. As it was my Dad continued to work at Purdue for over 20 years and was able to have an enjoyable retirement, living to 97 years old. My Dad outlived a number of his insurance policies and the companies paid him off on the full acquired value.
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