Donald Horst

HORST

Posted By: Debra Scott Hierlmeier (email)
Date: 11/20/2008 at 09:53:03

Donald Horst
Killed Accidentally

This Thursday afternoon, around 4:15, Donald Horst, 10 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Horst was killed instantly when he was run over by a grader on West Grant Street near the Dan Burke residence.

While Will Wasser was grading the street several boys rode on the grader. In some way the tractor slipped out of gear and started down the hill. The boys jumped when the machine started backward and all escaped injury but Donald who fell in the path of the grader and was run over and instantly killed.

AVOCA YOUTH FATALLY CRUSHED BY MACHINE

Donald “Donnie” Horst, 10, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Horst of Avoca, was instantly killed at 4:30 pm Thursday when he fell into the path of a road maintainer being operated by William Wasser in the south part of town.

A back wheel passed over the boy’s chest and face, crushing him. When Wasser stopped his machine he discovered the boy’s body underneath. He pulled the boy out and summoned a doctor, who pronounced him dead.

Wasser, employed by the city of Avoca, told Coroner L. H. Tyler he was going up a steep incline when the clutch jumped out, causing him to lose control of the tractor pulling the maintainer as it backed down the hill. He finally succeeded in backing the machine into a earth bank, stopping it. When he jumped out of the cab to inspect the machine he discovered the boy’s body.

Mrs. Walter Rihmer and Hans Neve, who witnessed the accident, told Coroner Tyler that Donald and two companions, Charles True and Lorene Scott, were playing in the roadway.

As Wasser was driving up the incline the three boys ran after the road maintainer and jumped on in back. When the machine started backwards Charles and Lorene both jumped off in opposite directions. They reached safety.

Donald jumped, they said, stumbled and fell in the path of the paving machine and was caught by the back wheel. Wasser told Coroner Tyler that he did not know the boys had jumped on his machine and were riding on it.

Tyler said there would be no inquest.

Other survivors are five brothers: Carlie, Melving, Frank, Leighton and Dickie, two sisters, Ruth and Lorna.

Funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at the Chrissinger funeral home in Avoca.

From the Scrapbooks of Bessie Gross Gustafsen
Source: Avoca Journal Herald