Father, Son Die As Car Dives Into Pond

MCCLURE, ABERNATHY, SPROUSE, BOX, RILEY, HILL, SCHEIBELER, SHAFFER

Posted By: Volunteer: Sherri
Date: 11/2/2014 at 02:42:55

Father, Son Dies As Car Dives Into Pond

A 37-year-old Floris father and his 15-year-old son died Friday of effects of their car plunging into a farm pond and over turning.

The wife and mother who had been in the car with them saved them from immediate drowning. But they did not survive the effects of the accident.

The victims were Clyde Gail McClure, 37, and Clyde Steven McClure, 15. At about 6:15 p.m. Friday the McClures were in their car going south from Eldon on the river road on the south of the Des Moines river.

The car went out of control. Officers who investigated think a front wheel suspension broke and the wheel collapsed. The car went off the road on the right-hand side, and plunged into the pond. It overturned in five feet of water.

Mrs. McClure managed to get out. She pulled out her husband and son out, but not without difficulty. She said later one of them was half caught in the rear of the car.

Holds Men Up In Water

She held the two men up, in five feet of water, and yelled for help.

One car, she said passed on the road without hearing her or stopping.

Then the next vehicle stopped. Mrs. McClure said a woman and others came to her help. They gave artificial respiration to the elder McClure. He partially revived and resumed breathing.

The vehicle which stopped was a pickup truck driven by Grant Abernathy.

Mrs. Glen Sprouse, who was one of those who stopped to help, loaded the two men into the pickup truck. They drove toward Eldon, and were met at the end of the bridge by the Campbell ambulance.

The two were then rushed to the Ottumwa hospital.

A doctor rode in the ambulance from Eldon to Ottumwa, and administered oxygen to both. Each of the patients was breathing, but not normally, on the way to the hospital.

Oxygen Treatment Fails

One of the attending physicians said both father and son died of massive aspiratory pneumonia, or in other words the effect of nearly drowning.

He said when they reached the hospital, both were suffering from water in the respiratory tracts, and having enormous difficulty breathing.

Oxygen was administered, but they did not respond. They did not recover from the breathing problem. The father died at 9:18 p.m. and the son at 10:04 p.m. They had been admitted to the hospital at about 7 p.m.

The scene of the tragedy is in Davis county. Officers who investigated are Blaine Boxx, Eldon marshal; Wapello county Sheriff Cliff Riley; Iowa Highway Patrolmen Frank Hill, Mike Scheibeler, and Sam Shaffer.

Source: Van Buren Co. Genealogical Society Obituary Book D, Page 185, Keosauqua Public Library, Keosauqua, IA