On August 17, 1896, Mrs. Bridget Driscoll, age 44, became the first recorded autombile fatality. She stepped off a curb in the Crystal Palace section of London, England and was struck by a demonstration car travelling 4 miles per hour driven by Arthur Edsel. (Really! That was his true name!) She was knocked to the ground and suffered a severe head injury which killed her. At the inquest following Mrs. Driscoll's untimely death, the cause was ruled to be an accident and Edsel was absolved of all blame. Coroner William Percy Morrison stated that he hoped such a tragic mishap would never happen again.