The First Car Crash Was a Fatal One
On May 30, 1896, in London, a French engineer named Henri-Louis Chauchon died in a car crash. Chauchon was testing his own vehicle, a steam-powered tricycle, when it veered out of control and crashed into a lamp post. This incident is considered the first recorded car crash and fatality. Chauchon's death was reported in the British newspaper The Times, providing a verifiable account of the event.