Phyllis Darlene Brock
Sept. 20, 1947-Feb. 19 1953
Niles Daily Star, Friday, February 20, 1953, page 1, col. 1, Continued page 2, col. 3-4, microfilm Niles District Library
Traffic Fatality Is First in the City in 573 Days
Phullis Brock Dies at Pawating Hospital After Being Struck by a Truck
Five-year old Phyllis Darlene Brock, daughter of Mr.and Mrs. Vernon Brock, 1631 Taft street, died at Pawating Hospital at 11:40 p.m. Thursday from injuries suffered when she was struck by a truck earlier in the day.
The little girl, a kindergarten student at the Southside School, was the city's first traffic fatality in 573 days and is the county's fourth so far this year.
Pawating Hospital officials said the tot suffered fatal brain injuries and fractures when she was struck by the truck at 11:18 a.m. Thursday in the 1500 block on East Main street. The truck was driven by George Smith, 27, of Saint Charles, Mich.
Police said Phyllis was struck by Smith's truck near the intersection of Superior street while returning from morning kindergarten class. She was about two blocks from her home at the time.
A witness, Miss Mary Morrow, 1645 Silverbrook avenue, told police the child had cut across a vacant lot to cross East Main street at Superior 155 feet away from the Fifteenth and Main intersection where a school guard is on duty during the noon hour.
Police quoted Miss Morrow as saying the little girl started to cross once but turned back when a westbound truck approached. When the truck passed, Miss Morrow said, the little girl started across again and was struck by Smith's eastbound truck. She was thrown about 10 feet by the impact.
Smith drove on to the next intersection and turned his truck around and returned to the scene, police said.
Smith and his wife, who was an occupant of the truck, said they did not see the child before they felt the impact against the front of the truck Smith estimated that he was driving between 30 and 35 miles per hour. The speed limit is 35 miles in the zone in which the accident occurred.
At Pawating hospital the child's injuries were diagnosed as a critical brain injury, a fractured left shoulder and left arm and serious contusions of the body.
She was pronounced in a critical condition upon arrival at the hospital and remained critical until she died approximately 12 hours later.
Smith was questioned by city police, given a driver's test which he passed and released without charge pending a coroner's inquest at 2 p.m. today at the Pifer funeral home.
The truck was held by police pending a report after the inquest. Smith told officers he would remain at the home of his son in Berrien Springs until after the inquest.
Miss Morrow, the witness, told officers that she doubted that the child looked to the west before she started to cross the second time. She said she did not believe either the child or the driver of the truck could have seen each other.
At the time of the accident, police said, the full time guard at the intersection of Fifteenth and East Main streets, was just arriving to assume his duties at 11:30 a.m. Police said they had been told that the kindergarten class at Southside school where the child attended had been dismissed early Thursday noon.
According to police records, the little girl's death was the city's first traffic fatality since July 29, 1951, when William Reed Jr., was killed in a motorcycle mishap on South Third street. Reed's death ended a death-free period which lasted three and a half years.
Funeral services for the Brock child will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at the Pifer Funeral Home with the Rev. Vern F. Barr, pastor of the First Church of Christ, officiating. Burial will be at Silverbrook cemetery.
Phyllis Brock was born Sept. 20, 1947, at Jonesboro, Ark., and was brought to Niles with her parents three years ago. Survivors besides her parents include two brothers, Duayne and Ronald Doyle, of the home; the grandparents, Mr.and Mrs. Louis Brock, of Niles, and Mr.and Mrs. William Eaves, of Truman, Ark., and Mrs. Eaves, of Missouri.
