Profile America: The First Car Accident

Saturday, May 28 — The first recorded automobile accident involving two vehicles occurred on this date in 1896 in New York City. Henry Wells of Springfield, Massachusetts was driving a new Duryea Motor Wagon, the first automobile model to be made and sold in the U.S. Unfortunately, he collided with Evelyn Thomas of New York, riding a bicycle. Thomas went to the hospital with a broken leg, and Wells spent the night in jail. Now, there are close to 5.7 million motor vehicle accidents reported to police per year, with nearly 30,000 of them fatal crashes. There are more than 31,000 insurance carriers in the U.S., with auto insurance premiums adding to the industry’s $1.7 trillion of annual business done.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email