Obit: Castner, Theodore Sam (1916? - 1941)

Contact: Stan
 

Surnames: Castner, Hammer, Acker, Bradbury, Olson, Ludovic, Ampe

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 07/03/1941

Castner, Theodore Sam (1916? - 29 June 1941)

Clark county’s third highway fatality of the year was chalked up late Sunday afternoon when Theodore Sam Castner, age 25, town of Loyal, was instantly killed in a car collision.

The accident occurred about 5 p.m. Sunday on Highway 98, three miles west of Spencer, when the car owned and driven by William Hammer, 18, town of Loyal, in which Castner and two other passengers collided with an approaching car owned and operated by Robert W. Acker, Arpin.

Castner, who was riding in the back seat of the Hammer car, suffered a skull fracture, broken neck and internal hemorrhage. Mrs. Acker, riding with her husband, suffered the fracture of several ribs, shock, and cuts and bruises, and their daughter, Gertrude, 19, suffered minor cuts and a severe leg bruise, and Acker received superficial facial cuts.

The injured were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital at Marshfield, where Mrs. Acker was a patient for several days. Hammer was also taken to the hospital after he complained of stomach pains, but an examination at the hospital disclosed no internal injuries, although he was kept under observation there overnight. Mr. Acker and his daughter were permitted to return to their home after their injuries were cared for.

According to an investigation made by Traffic Officer Lewis Bradbury, Sheriff Herman J. Olson and Coroner P. C. Ludovic, who were summoned from Neillsville, the accident occurred when the Hammer car attempted to pass a car driven by Paul Ampe, town of Loyal, going in the same direction. In passing, Hammer lost control of his machine, which he stated was going between 55 and 60 miles an hour, and it crossed the black center and into the east traffic lane.

Acker was driving in an easterly direction and seeing the Hammer car careening down the highway toward him, drove his car onto the right shoulder of the highway, where the right side of it was struck and side-swiped by the Hammer car.

The Acker car was spun around on the shoulder and rolled over into the ditch, practically demolished. After striking the Acker car, Hammer’s car turned back onto the highway and skidded sideways for a distance of about 219 feet before it came to a stop, badly damaged.

Questioned at the hospital by the officers, Hammer stated that he had a blowout on his left rear tire as he was following the Ampe car and for fear that he would strike the car ahead he made an effort to pass it, but lost control. He admitted that his tires were new and recently purchased and had only 400 miles of service. He also admitted having had four glasses of beer during the afternoon.

A coroner’s jury was picked at the scene of the accident, and after viewing the body of Castner, the Acker and Hammer cars and the skid marks of Hammer’s car on the highway, the jury was dismissed.

*** Note: The rest of the article was cut off and not available at the time of transcription.