A Tragic Accident

On May 30, 1907, a tragic event occurred that would forever impact the Disability Community of Toledo. A distracted motorman crashed an interurban car into a second car, causing nine deaths and dozens of injuries. Among the deaths was Homer Allen, son of a prominent businessman and future Rotary Club member Edgar Allen. It was later speculated that a lack of proper hospital equipment and care was the cause of several deaths, since the local hospital was “poorly equipped with patients lying on mattresses on the floor.” In response, Edgar Allen led the fundraising efforts to build the Gates Memorial Hospital and, after realizing that there was a lack of care available for children with disabilities, established the Ohio Society for Crippled Children. The Toledo Society for Crippled Children was one of its first chapters.