W.H. Johnson succumbed Saturday night about 11 o’clock to injuries received in an automobile accident between 5:30 and 6 o’clock in the evening, occurring on the Erwin road.
The accident occurred when the deceased, together with John Raykes, was riding on the Erwin road. The named man was driving the car. A wagon was moving just ahead of them and another wagon stood on the other side of the road. Thinking he had plenty of room to pass between the two vehicles, raykes is alleged to have attempted to drive the car between them with the result that the car struck the wagon. The automobile plunged down an embankment and overturned, pinning Mr. Johnson beneath it.
After he was extricated he returned to his home on Ninth street, West Durham, and medical attention was given him. He was found to be suffering from a fractured right shoulder. To relieve his suffering, the doctor is alleged to have given him an opiate to quiet him. He died around 11 o’clock. Whether or not he received internal injuries has not yet been determined. It was reported that he suffered a broken neck, but the truth or falsity of it was not determined.
After his death the sheriff was notified and he ordered the body held until Sunday morning when a coroner’s inquest will be held to determine the cause of his death and whether or not it was due to criminal negligence on the part of the driver of the car. No arrests were made last night, pending the outcome of the inquest.
The deceased has lived in West Durham for many years and was well known throughout that community. He was a carpenter by trade.
From page 3 of the Durham Morning Herald, Sunday, April 29, 1923
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