My Dad's Accident In Front Of Nan's Mobil In The 60s - Unbelievable

[Henry]

Below is the photo of my Dad standing near the car as it sat in the ditch across the street from Nan's Mobil.  In the background you can see what was then a store & garage that may have been run by Steve Ratte's father, Maurice Ratte.  Not sure just who was running it or the actual year the accident happened, but do know it was in the early 1960s.

The paper said that Dad had a few cuts, but being a tough old farmer, he was more concerned about the car.  If you look closely at the car, you can see the front seat and how close the tractor trailer came to him sitting there in the drivers seat.  The car was a total loss, that's for sure.

[NorthFairfaxBoy]

WOW!! So very lucky he wasn't injured.  I have seen much different results of crashes between cars and tractor trailers.

[Henry]

Someone e-mailed me and asked me if I remembered Peggy Stewart's accident up there in front of Nan's.  There have been many, many accidents there over the years, however that one I didn't remember, so I sent Peggy a note and she sent me back the following info:

You are so right.  I was very lucky and had it not been for Rescue and Dr. Payne who was responding to major traumas at that time, I probably wouldn't have been so lucky as I was unconscious and had to be removed from the car in sub zero weather. My car was flipped on its top by a driver admitting to travelling 50 miles an hour. Quentin and Marlene also had a deer go through their living room window next door  and into Stephanie's bedroom before walking out on its own and crossing the street much to the amazement of Quentin.
Peggy

[Henry]

I checked with Carol Gaboury Boissoneault regarding some of the history on the apartment building across from Nan's Mobil and she gave me the following information:

Henry

MY father (Charles Gaboury) bought the store/garage from Maurice Ratte in fall of 62.  He ran it as it was for about a year and then they converted to a restaurnat "Kaffe Klatch" for a while. In 1965 that closed and the garage was turned into an apartment where Giles and I lived for 3 years.  Can't remember the year my dad sold it to Sylva (but it was in 80's), who later sold to current owners.....hope that helps...Carol

I received the following information from Steve Ratte:

Hi Henry...
 
My father owned the property after my Grandfather Joseph Ratte, who built the garage/apartment, died in the summer of 1959.

It was rented to Donald Boutin for a period of time (?) prior to the spring of 1960 when my father returned from winter in Florida and started renovating the building.  The garage was operating during the summer of 1960.  Pauline & I & Denise moved into the upstairs apartment in the middle of August, 1960.  We moved to the Fletcher Road  in Sept. of 1962  & my parents sold the business to the Gaboury's.  I can't remember the accident but we probably had not moved to the apartment  when it happened....am sure if we had been in the apartment we would have remembered.  hope this helps a little. ..
steve

[Mike Raburn]

Did that say that the damage was estimated @ $450.00 for the 1957 Sedan??

I realize that is 1980 dollars, but come on!

[Henry]

It was actually in the early to mid 1960s, so the car may have been 7 or 8 years old.  It sold brand new for about $3200, was a V8 with the push-button torqueflight transmission.  I remember Maryann & I buying a 1954 Ford V8 Automatic used in 1961 for $450.  It was a real nice little car.

When I first saw it in the old news clipping I thought then, didn't seem like much.  I don't know how much Dad did get from the insurance company.