September 2, 1902

Detroit suffered its first automobile fatality.

At about 9:00 A.M., eighty-one-year-old Detroit businessman George W. Bissell was guiding his horse-drawn carriage down Brooklyn Avenue when an automobile “scorched” by. The horses became frightened and jumped, causing one of the carriage’s wheels to fall off. Bissell was pitched forward, striking his head on the pavement. He was pronounced dead of a fractured skull at 11:15 A.M.

Thank you Michigan History Magazine for this glimpse into our past.  See more at www.michiganhistorymagazine.com.