Bridget Driscoll killed by a Benz car at Crystal Palace, the world's first motoring fatality

Background. Bridget Driscoll, born in Ireland around 1851, was living in Croydon, Surrey, with her husband and children at the time of her death. She was visiting the Crystal Palace grounds in London, accompanied by her teenage daughter May and friend Elizabeth Murphy. The location was part of the grounds associated with the Crystal Palace Exhibition building, which stood in the area from 1854 until its destruction by fire in 1936.

The Incident. On 17 August 1896, Driscoll was crossing Dolphin Terrace in the grounds of the Crystal Palace when she was struck by a car belonging to the Anglo-French Motor Carriage Company. The vehicle was being used to give demonstration rides. This event marked the first recorded case of a pedestrian killed in a collision with a motor car in Great Britain.

Inquest and Verdict. Following the incident, an inquest was held which lasted approximately six hours. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death. This legal outcome confirmed the nature of the collision as unintentional, distinguishing it from other potential classifications of liability or negligence at the time.