Bridgewater Family Tragedy

Forrest C. Bridgewater (1899-1947); Harold L. Bridgewater, Sr. (1920-1946); and Harold L. Bridgewater, Jr. (1940-1956) are my cousins. They are, in relation to each other, father, son, and grandson, respectively. They all died in motor vehicle-related accidents.  It’s probably not unusual for a family to lose members of three generations within a short period of time. However, it does seem tragic that this family lost these three generations in three different vehicle accidents.

 

Morgan Canning Co. Trucks, 1940s

Both Harold Sr. and Forrest worked at Morgan Packing Company in Austin, Indiana. Harold was a mechanic, and Forrest was a truck driver. Austin, Indiana, is situated on Interstate 65 about 40 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky. The company was founded in 1899 and canned the area’s produce.

Harold Sr.

On August 26, 1946, Harold Sr., along with a co-worker, was getting ready to work on the lights for one of the truck trailers. The co-worker, Ralph Nolan, was in a truck cab backing up to connect with the trailer to pull it into the garage. According to the obituary, all of the company trailers were parked “about eighteen inches apart. When Nolan started to hook onto the trailer, he thought Bridgewater was behind the trailer.” However, he was not. He was standing between two trailers – one which was to be connected to the cab and the other only 18 inches away. Harold Sr. was standing there for the purpose of raising the “dollie” wheels on which the trailer was resting. As Nolan was backing up, the trailer and cab were not lined up properly. So, when the trailer arm tried to hook up with the cab, the trailer swung to one side trapping Laverne between the two trailers. His chest was crushed, and he died "instantly." [1]

Forest Bridgewater had been a truck driver for at least 27 years with the last 16 years at the Morgan

Forest Bridgewater

Packing Company. On May 22, 1947, just days short of nine months from the time his son Harold was killed, Forest died as a result of a vehicle accident. On May 21, Forest was driving his company truck. At some point in time, he struck a bridge abutment, and the truck caught fire. His burns were so severe that he was taken to three different hospitals before being able to get any help. Perhaps, this might account for his death on the following day, May 22. According to his death certificate, he died from “shock due to 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 75% of body surface.” [2]

On May 12, 1956, nine years after his grandfather’s death, Harold Jr., a passenger in a car driven by 17-year-old Phil Paulson, was “instantly killed” when the vehicle hit the abutment of a culvert.  A family source told me that he and his friend were on their way home from their junior prom. [3]

All of these deaths were certainly a tragedy for the Bridgewater family: Two of the deaths were sudden, but hopefully, not painful. The death of Forest would have been otherwise. And, for the wife and mother of Forest and Lavern Sr. - Frances Morgan Bridgewater (1899-1997) and the wife and mother of Lavern Sr. and Lavern Jr. - Marjorie Dismore Bridgewater (1917-1998), the deaths had to be difficult to deal with.

Forest is my 1st cousin 2x removed; Harold Sr., my 2nd cousin 1x removed; and Harold Jr., my 3rd cousin.

Note: Nancy Bridgewater Nichols, my 3rd cousin, provided the photos of Forest and Harold Sr.

[1] – “Harold L. Bridgewater Fatally Injured at Austin.” The Chronicle (Scottsburg, IN) 29 August 1946.

[2] – “Forest Bridgewater Suffers Fatal Burns When Gas Tank of Truck Explodes.” The Chronicle (Scottsburg, IN) 29 May 1947.

[3] – “Harold Bridgewater Dies in Auto Crash.” The Chronicle (Scottsburg, IN) 17 May 1956.