Bridget Driscoll's First Pedestrian Fatality

The first recorded pedestrian killed by a motor car was a woman named Bridget Driscoll, who was struck near London's Crystal Palace on August 17, 1896. Witnesses said the 44-year-old appeared bewildered and froze when she saw the demonstration car approaching, while its driver, Arthur James Edsall, claimed he was traveling at only 4 mph. After a six-hour inquest, the jury ruled her death accidental. Coroner Percy Morrison reportedly said he hoped such a tragedy would never happen again.

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