Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Smith, Karl & Shirley April 13, 1954
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Ionia Sentinel Standard- April 1954

Three Die At Saranac Crossing
Ionia County experienced one of it s worst weekends for accidental deaths in 
many years over Saturday and Sunday when four persons were killed and six 
seriously injured. In all thirteen persons were involved in three accidents 
that claimed the four lives and sent at least six to hospitals.
Eight persons in all met accidental death in the state over the weekend. Four 
of them were n Ionia county.
The most tragic occurred in the village of Saranac at 1:41 Sunday afternoon 
when a woman and two children were instantly killed as their car was struck 
on the crossing by an eastbound Grand trunk passenger train.Dead were:
Mrs. Kathryn Smith, 35, of 1045 Mason, N.W., Grand Rapids,
Karl Smith, 7, Saranac
Shirley Smith, 4, Saranac.
Injured:
Mrs. Harold Smith, 27, Saranac.
The three were riding in an automobile which was being driven by Mrs.Harold 
Smith, 27, of Saranac. She was the mother of the two children and the sister-
in-law of Mrs. Clayton Smith.
They were enroute to Ionia where they were taking the boy to attend a youth 
meeting at the Seventh Day Adventist church.
Stalled On Track
Witnesses stated their car was headed north out of the village when it 
stalled on the track
Mrs. Smith was not hit directly by the train but officers believe she was so 
close that the impact threw her to the pavement where she was injured.
The car, which was completely demolished, was pushed approximately 30 feet up 
the tracks. officers estimated the train came to a stop about 118 feet east 
of the crossing.
The bodies of Mrs. Clayton Smith and Shirley Smith were thrown from the car. 
Mrs. SMith's body were thrown from the car. Mrs. Smith's body was found lying 
between the rails about half way between the wreckage of the car and rear of 
the last coach of the train. It was badly mangled and apparently and been 
passed over by the entire train. The severed body of the child was lying near 
the car wreckage. Parts of it were on each side of the rail.
The body of the boy was found within the wreckage of the car.
Mr. Serne, who witnessed the accident, from a window of the Saranac creamery 
building at the Southwest corner of the crossing, said the car stopped on the 
crossing. He believed Mrs. Smith tried vainly to get the car started. He said 
he saw her get out just before the train hit.
Their Only Children
The two children were the only children of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Smith.
Clayton Smith, husband of the dead woman, stated he and his wife arrived in 
Saranac about 12 o'clock noon Sunday where they came to  visit from Grand 
Rapids They had planned to spend the afternoon with his brother and family.
The two brothers planned to stay at home in Saranac while the women and 
children came to Ionia where the boy was to attend the youth meeting.
Clayton Smith has lived in and around Saranac several times. He was 
discharged from the United States Army this last October after having served 
in Korea. He was married to Kathryn Griffin Landham, the deceased woman, at 
Endburg, Ind., Feb. 1950. They did not have any children.
The children killed in the accident were the grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs. 
Clyde Baker, farm residents of Berlin township. Their daughter, Mrs. Harold 
Smith, mother of the children, is in the Ionia County Memorial Hospital.
Others who witnessed the accident were Mr. and Mrs. Harry Rowley, Sherman 
Eddy and C.C. Knoll. Several of them stated the flasher signals at the 
crossing were working.
After the tracks were cleared the train backed to the west and out of the 
signal block to see if they were working properly. The conductor timed the 
train as it came forward and it took one minute and 45 seconds from the time  
the signals started to flash until it reached the crossing.
The train, which was due in Detroit at 6 p.m., was delayed to more then an 
hour.
Slowed for Station
The conductor, Carl Green, of Detroit, stated they were going about 30 miles 
per hour when the car was hit They had slackened the speed as they approached 
to depot for regular stop.
Coroner Dale H.Kauffman impaneled a jury at the scene before the bodies and 
the car wreckage has been removed. Sheriff Ben Neve and Deputies Loyal Hodson 
and Phil Card were at the scene and conducted the investigation.
Jurymen sworn in were: Joseph Billinger, Lyle Denny, Jud Barger, Roy 
Carpenter, Robert Clark and Harold Frost.
Conductor Green was on the train that hit a car on an Ionia city crossing a 
year ago in which Mr. and Mrs.Leonard Engvartsen were killed.
Other members of the crew on the trains Sunday were: Robert Crop, engineer; 
J. Murray, Fireman; and Jay Justin, brakeman, all of Detroit.
The engineer stated he saw the car pull onto the tracks and stop but he was 
helpless to stop the train on the short length of time that elapsed before it 
hit the car.

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