A 56-years old Madison woman was killed here Friday afternoon in a three car accident at the intersection of Hwy. 124 and Woodward Avenue.

The victim, Rosemary Bell, was the passenger in a car driven by her husband, John Bell. John Bell, 77, was traveling northbound on Hwy 124. According to police reports, he turned west onto Woodward Avenue and into the path of a southbound vehicle driven by Rick J. Bowe, 32, Superior.

The two vehicles then struck a vehicle driven by Russell J. Nelson, 39, Rt. 1, Bloomer, who was stopped on Woodward Avenue for a red light.

Rosemary Bell was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 4:40 p.m.

Bowe suffered head, neck and leg injuries and was also transported to St. Joseph's Hospital. He remains hospitalized as of Friday evening. John Bell and a second passenger, who was sitting in the back seat of the car, were uninjured. Nelson and the passenger in his car were also uninjured.

The accident was reported at 3:43 p.m.

This is the 10th Chippewa County traffic fatality of 1988.

(Printed in the Chippewa Herald-Telegram Saturday December 31, 1988 Edition)
 

We were on our way back to my home in Chetek, after a week or so during a Christmas visit with my Grandmother in Madison. We had stopped in Chippewa Falls to see my mother who was residing near Woodward Ave. in a trailer home with her boyfriend Tony Anderson. My Grandpa John Bell was driving with my Grandma in the passenger seat and I was in the back seat sitting behind my Grandmother.

We were about to make a left turn onto Woodward Ave. when my Grandmother, being the back seat driver she was, started to tell John to turn or not to turn, I can't remember which. His reaction was to hesitate in the middle of the intersection.  The car that ran into us ran the red light (or so I have heard, or maybe a yellow light), was traveling at a high speed, and did not slow down. It hit us on our right side and my grandmother's seat  received the brunt of the impact. We were all wearing our seat belts, however the impact was so powerful that it knocked the wind right out of us. John and I were gasping for air for the first minute. You could not help but gasp: AH...AH...AH... My Grandmother, however, was snoring as if she was asleep. The ambulance responded quickly I remember. They came in what seemed like minutes and asked me if I was ok. I don't remember what happened after that, but I do remember both my parents coming to the hospital. We then received word that my Grandmother had passed away.

Her lungs had filled with blood and the hospital doctors tried to drain it, but couldn't. I remember going to see her. She was lying on the operating table. That was the last time I saw my Grandmother. John and I were both ok. John had some cracked ribs and the only injury I received was a scratch on my knee. I will never forget this experience.