In my previous article about dislocated necks, I covered mostly those who survived and their medical treatment. For this article, we are going to take a look at some of the more gruesome and deadly accounts of accidents involving necks becoming dislocated.
1. Smoking Kills
First, there is a time and place for everything, and multitasking is never a good idea when driving a team of horses.
From North Dakota, 1909:
“Henry Layer, a young farmer…, was thrown from his wagon while on the way home last Saturday evening, and suffered a broken hand and dislocated neck from the effect of which he died Sunday night. Mr. Layer was driving a lively team and attempting to roll a cigarette at the time of the accident… He leaves a widow and two children.” [Source]
2. Fell Off the Hay Wagon
Over the years, I have read numerous accounts of hay wagon accidents. In fact, I just might write an article on the subject.
But since we are taking a look at dislocated neck incidents, let’s take a look at this incident that happened in Maryland, 1918:
“Michael Harvey, one of the best known and highest respected citizens of District 8, died yesterday morning… as a result of an accident which occurred to him… when he fell from a wagon load of hay.
“At the time of the accident Mr. Harvey was engaged in hauling provender from one barn to another on his farm and with the load he was proceeding along the county road…, when a low hanging limb of a tree caught him and threw him from the wagon to the roadway, where he struck upon his head and dislocated his neck. Immediately afterward his physician… was called, and rendered all the aid possible.
“Mr. Harvey was upwards of 75 years of age… He was a Civil War Veteran, being a member of a West Virginia command during the entire war.” [Source]
3. Some Sweetheart
This next story greatly upsets me.
From out of Indiana, 1915, is a story that should have been titled “petty jealousy ruins a life”:
“It is not etiquette in Hammond to kiss your best girl’s chum. Edgar Morrison of Frankfort tried to and today is at home with a dislocated neck.
Edgar has been keeping company with Miss Mary Healey of Hammond for some time now. Mary took him to call on a friend and went to the kitchen for a drink of water. When she came back Edgar was preparing to kiss her chum.
Without a word, Mary seized the boy by the neck and threw him to the floor. He was picked up unconscious and it was found that his neck was out of joint. He is at his home in critical condition.” [Source]
4. Roughed Up
In this next story, a 22-year-old was roughed up by a gang of schoolboys in Washington state, 1908:
“Perry Amber, a young man of about 22, sustained serious injuries last night. His neck was dislocated and Dr. McCoy, who is attending him, says that it is possible his injuries may prove fatal.
“The cause of the accident is somewhat shrouded in mystery. It seems that he was joshing some of the schoolboys somewhat roughly, and in turn was given a shove which threw him onto his back and his neck was dislocated. He was carried into the Cottage House and Dr. McCoy was summoned. His neck was put into a plaster cast and this morning he was removed to the home of his brother-in-law near town…. Police officers are making an investigation as to the authors of the young man’s mishap, and it is likely that some arrests will result.” [Source]
5. Too Much Information
Finally, this last story is about an 18-year-old who dislocated his neck and lived. His story is simply mind-blowing. From Baltimore, Maryland, 1900:
“Passengers on a Carey Street trolley car on Tuesday last little imagined that one of their fellow passengers had a dislocated neck, yet such was the case. William Gehner, eighteen years of age…, was the queer passenger.
“Nearly two weeks ago young Gehner was walking along the top rail of a fence, when he fell off and struck on his head. When he got on his feet again he found that he could not turn his head, and his chin was drawn down until his Adam’s apple was resting on his chin. He was unable to look around without turning his whole body. There was no improvement noticed in his condition, and on Monday last he was taken to Maryland University Hospital. Members of the house staff and the visiting physicians examined him and agreed that he was suffering with a dislocated neck, or, in other words, that the cervical vertebrae were displaced.
“Gehner said he could feel a lump in the back of his throat, and that was apparent when the doctors examined through his open mouth with their fingers. The muscles of the young man’s neck are drawn tense and stand out like cords from the unusual pressure put upon them. They aid in holding his head rigid so that he is unable to turn it from side to side or back and forth…
“The doctors will probably try to replace the bones after the young man’s muscles have been relaxed by an anesthetic. It may be necessary to put a large cork in his mouth with which to exert pressure on the bones and push them gently back into place. Similar gentle pressure will be exerted on the sides of the neck. Should these procedures fail it may be necessary to try a cutting operation and by removing portions of the vertebrae get them into their proper position.
“This dislocation from which young Gehner suffers is different from that brought about by hanging a man so that, as it is said, his ‘neck is broken…’ When the hanging is well managed the jerk of the fall tears apart the strong ligaments connecting the two bones, pulling the head backward, so that the projecting head and neck of the second bone is thrust forward through the nerve fibers of the spinal cord, causing instant death…” [Source]
