Letter to the Editor

Small world

When I was growing up in Tracy, I often heard a story about an accident with one of the midway rides during Box Car Days, the annual town event held over Labor Day weekend.
The story became exaggerated over the years to the point where several people were flung hundreds of feet in the air when one of the cars on the ride called "The Bullet" became unhitched from the assembly.
Even though the story was stretched, it was still a horrific accident.
The accident left one girl paralyzed and another injured. I tried to locate the two girls for several years, but hadn't thought about it recently until I met one of them by chance.
As I was taking some photos of the Society for the Preservation of Minneota Heritage-hosted Old-Fashioned Christmas event in the Opera Hall recently, a woman helping at the craft table told me her name was name Mary Jane (Janssen) Berends and announced proudly that "I'm a 1962 graduate of Minneota".
When I told her I grew up in nearby Tracy, Mary Jane began to tell me that she was injured in a ride during Box Car Days in Tracy in 1959.
Around 6:45 p.m. on September 7, 1959, Mary Jane, then 14, and Irene Finch, 15, of Canby seated themselves in one of the cars on "The Bullet" and fastened their safety harness.
This was the first time Mary Jane and Irene had ever met. Mary Jane was dating Irene's brother, Jerry, and Irene was also on a date, so they double-dated. The "Bullet" did not appeal to the boys, so they instead tried to win a teddy bear for their dates, while the girls went on the ride.
The "Bullet" is the approximate height of a Ferris wheel, but with only two cars shaped like bullets that goes around in a circle quickly and those seated inside are upside down at the top of the ride. The ride begins slowly and then builds up speed.
With safety not a high priority in those days, the leather safety strap holding the girls inside was worn and in need of replacement. As the ride sped up, the strap broke.
"I remember saying "Reenie, I'm slipping," said Berends.
After the strap broke, the girls were hurtled out of the door of the car. It was later determined that the latch on the car was also broken.
The girls flew approximately 60 feet in the air.
Mary Jane crashed into a window of the lumber yard building nearby, which broke her fall, and she landed on the sidewalk below and was knocked unconscious.
According to an article in the Sept. 11, 1959 issue of the Mascot, Mary Jane was taken to the Tracy Hospital and spent several days there before being released the following weekend. She had a badly sprained wrist, cuts and bruises and a concussion. She had to have glass removed from her legs, but she somehow managed to avoid any broken bones.
Gubrud wasn't as fortunate. She landed head-first on the sidewalk and suffered spinal injuries, bruises and a skull fracture. She was transferred to the Miller Hospital in St. Paul where she was initially listed in critical condition. She suffered spinal cord nerve damage and became a partial paraplegic. She walked with the aid of forearm crutches for the rest of her life.
The accident brought forth one of the largest lawsuits in Minnesota history at the time.
The girls stayed in touch for a time. Mary Jane attended Irene's wedding, but as time went on, they lost contact with one another.
Mary Jane became an LPN and worked pediatrics for several years at Methodist Hospital in Minneapolis. She married Ernie Berends and they had three children. They lived in several locations, including this area, before settling in Holland, Michigan six years ago.
Irene (Gubrud) Finch passed away Nov. 3, 2020 from a pulmonary embolism following abdominal surgery in Huntington, Long Island, where she lived. Prior to her death, Irene earned a Bachelor of Music degree at St. Olaf and then a Master's degree in Vocal Performance at The Julliard School in New York City.
While at Julliard, she won the Concert Artists Guild first prize, an award that included a debut recital at Carnegie Recital Hall. During her career, Renee sang with every major American symphony orchestra as well as many European ensembles.

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