The United States Recorded Its First Motor Vehicle Fatality When A Taxicab Struck Henry Hale Bliss In New York City. Bliss, A Real Estate Dealer, Had Just Stepped Off A Streetcar At The Corner Of West 74th Street And Central Park West. As He Assisted A Female Companion From The Trolley, He Was Hit By An Electric Taxicab Number 43 Driven By Arthur Smith. The Collision Knocked Bliss To The Ground, Crushing His Chest And Head. He Was Taken To Roosevelt Hospital, Where He Died The Following Morning On September 14.
The Event Quickly Drew Attention From Both The Press And The Public. Motor Vehicles Were Still A Novelty In 1899, With Only A Small Number Operating In New York City At The Time. The Taxicab That Struck Bliss Was One Of A Fleet Of Early Electric Cabs Manufactured By The Electric Vehicle Company. These Cabs Represented A Bold Experiment In Urban Transportation, Demonstrating The Transition From Horse-Drawn Carriages To Mechanized Vehicles. Bliss’s Death Became The First Recorded Instance Of How This Transition Could Bring Deadly Consequences.
Arthur Smith, The Driver, Was Immediately Arrested And Charged With Manslaughter. Reports Indicated That A Truck Had Obstructed Part Of The Avenue, Narrowing The Lane And Contributing To The Accident. Witnesses Included Dr. David Orr Edson, The Son Of Former New York City Mayor Franklin Edson, Who Was A Passenger In The Cab And Attempted To Aid Bliss After The Collision. During The Trial, The Court Found That Smith Had Not Been Driving With Malice Or Reckless Neglect, And He Was Eventually Acquitted. The Case Marked One Of The First Instances In American History Where A Court Considered Legal Responsibility Involving An Automobile Accident.
Bliss’s Death Highlighted The Lack Of Infrastructure And Safety Regulation For Motor Vehicles At The Turn Of The 20th Century. In 1899, There Were No Formal Traffic Signals, No Speed Limits Enforced Citywide, And Few Rules Governing How Drivers Should Navigate Crowded Streets. Horse-Drawn Wagons, Streetcars, Bicycles, And Pedestrians All Shared The Same Roadways. The Arrival Of Motor Vehicles Introduced New Hazards That The Public And The Legal System Were Unprepared To Address. The Bliss Case Became A Reference Point For Later Debates On Safety Measures, Licensing Requirements, And Traffic Management.
The Location Of Bliss’s Death Later Became A Site Of Historical Remembrance. On September 13, 1999, The Century Anniversary Of The Incident, A Plaque Was Installed At The Corner Of West 74th Street And Central Park West. The Plaque Notes That Henry Hale Bliss Was Struck By A Taxi, Knocked Unconscious, And Died The Next Morning, Recognizing Him As The First Recorded Motor Vehicle Fatality In The Western Hemisphere. The Marker Serves As A Permanent Reminder Of The Beginning Of Automobile-Related Deaths In The United States.
By The Early 20th Century, Automobile Use Expanded Rapidly, And Fatalities Increased Alongside This Growth. The Bliss Case Stood As The Starting Point Of A Troubling Trend. In 1900, Only 36 People In The United States Died From Automobile Accidents, But By 1930, The Annual Toll Had Risen To More Than 30,000. This Pattern Emphasized That Bliss’s Tragic Death Was Not An Isolated Event But The Beginning Of A Public Safety Crisis That Would Define Much Of The 20th Century.
The Memory Of Henry Hale Bliss Continues To Hold Historical Importance. His Death Demonstrates The Moment When The Promise Of Faster Transportation Collided With The Reality Of Urban Danger. It Illustrates How Societies Often Struggle To Adapt Laws, Infrastructure, And Safety Practices To Match Technological Innovation. Today, More Than 100 Years Later, Road Safety Campaigns, Traffic Regulations, And Automobile Engineering All Trace Their Origins To The Early Recognition That Motor Vehicles Could Kill, First Demonstrated On The Streets Of New York In 1899.
The Story Of Bliss Is Not Only About A Single Fatality But Also About The Birth Of Automobile Regulation And Awareness In The United States. His Death Marked The Transition From A World Dominated By Horse-Drawn Carriages To One Where Powered Vehicles Would Become The Norm. The Legacy Of That Moment Persists In Every Law Governing Roadways, Every Public Safety Campaign, And Every Memorial That Honors Victims Of Traffic Accidents.
References / More Knowledge:
“Death Of Henry H. Bliss.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Henry_H._Bliss
“On This Day In 1899, A Car Fatally Struck A Pedestrian For The First Time In American History.” Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/on-this-day-in-1899-a-car-fatally-struck-a-pedestrian-for-the-first-time-in-american-history-180985050/
“Henry Bliss, America’s First Pedestrian Fatality, Was Hit By An Electric Taxi.” Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/henry-bliss-americas-first-pedestrian-fatality-was-hit-electric-taxi-180964852/
“Central Park Highlights — First Traffic Accident Memorial.” NYC Parks. https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/centralpark/highlights/260
“Sept. 13, 1899: New Yorker Becomes First U.S. Pedestrian Killed By Car.” Wired. https://www.wired.com/2007/09/dayintech-913/