Bridget Driscoll
On August 17, 1896, in London, Bridget Driscoll, age 44, became the world's first person to be killed in an automobile accident.
As she and her teenage daughter crossed the grounds of the Crystal Palace,
an automobile belonging to the Anglo-French Motor Car Company and being used to give demonstration rides struck her at "tremendous speed", according to witnesses - some 4 MPH (6,4 km/h). The driver had apparently modified the engine to allow the car to go faster.
The jury returned a verdict of "accidental death" after an inquest lasting some six hours. The coroner said: "This must never happen again." No prosecution was made.
