Fordyce Obituary

George Crouse Obituary
1949

Boy Injured In Odd Auto Mishap Dies
George Crouse, 11, of Near Ninevah Succumbs In Pittsburgh Hospital Two Weeks After Crash
Injuries received in an automobile accident two weeks ago caused the death last night of George Albert Crouse, 11-year-old son of James and Lizzie Breese Crouse of Ninevah, R. D. 1, who died at 9:30 in Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh.
The boy, suffering from second and third degree burns and also a skull fracture, was removed to Mercy Hospital early this week from Greene County Memorial Hospital when indications of inflammation of the menenges of the brain developed, due to the skull fracture.
George was injured in the unusual accident Sunday afternoon, August 14, on the Rogersville road, four miles west of Waynesburg, when an automobile driven by Clark V. Blouir of Brave went out of control near the Dr. J. C. Russell residence, straddled a culvert headwall and then caught fire. Allen Austin Yeager, 21, of Sycamore R. D. 2, a passenger in the car, was burned to death, two other passengers were severely burned, along with two Crouse brothers, George and Lawrence, 16, who were standing along the side the highway at either end of the culvert headwall when the accident occurred. Lawrence, although badly burned himself, dragged his younger brother from under the front of the blazing automobile, where he had been pinned fast. Lawrence was able to leave the hospital this week. The two others burned in the accident were Donald Miller, 21, of West Waynesburg, and James Roupe, 20, of Brave, both passengers in the Blouir car.
George was born April 14, 1938, at Ninevah, and besides his parents leaves three sisters and two brothers, Bernice, Lawrence, Thomas, Betty, and Erma, all at home. He was a member of the Union Valley Methodist Church.
Funeral arrangements which are in charge of the Scott Funeral Service at Rogersville, were incomplete last night.
Democrat Messenger, August 27, 1949 (Greene County, PA)

ONE DEAD, FOUR BURNED IN WRECK
Auto Crashes Into Culvert Abutment And Catches Afire
A Sunday afternoon drive ended in flaming death for one youth and sent five others to the hospital, four of them in critical condition from burns received when an automobile crashed into a concrete abutment on the Rogersville road, about four miles west of Waynesburg at 4:30 yesterday afternoon and caught fire when sparks ignited gasoline spewing from the ruptured gasoline tank.
State police from the Waynesburg sub-station said the car was operated by Clark V. Blouir, 22, of Brave, enroute from Waynesburg to Wind Ridge with four others as passengers. As the vehicle rounded a curve in the road near the residence of Dr. J. C. Russell, some boys were said to have bee tossing stones across the road and another car traveling the same direction, stopped suddenly on the highway to avoid being struck by the stones.
As Blouir jammed on his brakes to keep from crashing into the stalled car, the right front brake locked, causing the car to swerve off the highway into a concrete culvert. The car straddled the culvert and the gasoline tank was ripped open and set afire by sparks when the steel tank scraped over the concrete.
Allen Austin Yeager, 21, of Sycamore, R. D. 2, who accepted a ride from Waynesburg with Blouir, was thrown from the rear seat against the bank on the right side of the road, the car pinning him against the bank and drenching him with flaming gasoline. The others were unable to come to this aid because of the intense heat and Yeager was practically burned to a crisp.
One of the boys playing alongside the road, George Crouse, aged 11, was struck by the car and pinned against the bank. His brother, Lawrence, 16, was badly burned about the face, chest and both arms as he dragged George to safety. George suffered severe burns about both legs, chest, and left arm in addition to deep cuts about the face and head. He is still unconscious in the Greene County Memorial Hospital. Both are sons of Mr. and Mrs. James Crouse, of Ninevah.
Donald Miller, 21, of West Waynesburg, a passenger in the car, riding in the rear seat with Yeager, had both hands, arms and face burned. James Roupe, 20, of Brave, riding in the front seat, both arms, back and face badly burned. All five were rushed to the Greene County Memorial Hospital, four of them in critical condition. Blouir was treated for slight cuts and burns and released.
Waynesburg volunteer firemen answered the fire call and were able to put out the blaze, but not before the car was destroyed.
Allen Austin Yeager was a son of Justice W. and Goldie Kerns Yeager, of West Waynesburg, and spent most of his life in the Waynesburg community. He was born Oct. 26, 1928, in Franklin Township and attended the grade schools of West Waynesburg. He was employed as a laborer at the Rice Brothers quarry. Besides his parents he leaves six brothers and one sister: James Crawford Yeager, of Toronto, O., Clyde, Challen, Hugh, Nancy, Kenneth Blaine and William Yeager, all at home.
Democrat Messenger, August 15, 1949 (Greene County, PA)

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