Today in History: The First Motor Vehicle Death in America

On this day (September 13) in 1899 Henry Bliss became the first person in America to die in a motor vehicle accident. Bliss had just stepped off a streetcar in New York City when he was hit by an electric-powered taxicab. His head and chest were crushed and he died from his injuries the next morning. The driver was charged with manslaughter but acquitted because he had no malice and was not negligent.