Deadly Dash on the Lincoln Highway: A Tragic Tale of Road Rage

On a fateful morning in August 1922, a devastating car crash shook the sleepy streets of Rock Island, Illinois. John Leveen, a 68-year-old tailor, met a tragic end when the Smith family automobile, in which he was a passenger, careened out of control on the Lincoln Highway, eight miles west of Clinton, Iowa. The gruesome accident left Leveen dead, and his family members, Charles J. Smith and Mrs. Charles J. Smith, critically injured.

The Smiths had embarked on an ill-fated auto trip to Beloit, Wisconsin, leaving Rock Island at 7:15 a.m. that morning. As they traversed the Iowa countryside, Mrs. Smith took the wheel, navigating the winding roads with caution. However, disaster struck when she attempted to pass a coupe that had been hogging the road for over a half-mile. The other driver’s obstinacy prompted Mrs. Smith to speed up, ignoring the ominous presence of a massive ditch looming on the side of the road.

The fateful stretch of road proved to be the Smiths’ undoing. As Mrs. Smith accelerated, the vehicle hurtled towards the ditch, rolling over three times in a deadly somersault. Leveen’s neck was broken in the impact, while Mr. Smith suffered a painful injury to his neck and bruises on his leg. Mrs. Smith, too, sustained severe bruises.

The investigation into the tragedy revealed that the road hog tactics of the other driver had contributed to the devastating outcome. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the perils that beset the nation’s roads during this era, where reckless driving and aggressive behavior were commonplace.

The crash cast a pall of sorrow over the community, as the Smith family struggled to come to terms with the loss of their loved one. As the nation grappled with the consequences of this senseless tragedy, one thing was clear: the Lincoln Highway, once a symbol of freedom and adventure, had claimed another victim in its deadly grip.

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