Tuesday, March 14, 2000:

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From Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Morning Edition
Saturday, November 28, 1953

Two Boys Critically Injured In Mishap
Car, Motor Scooter In Collision Here

Two Lubbock junior high school students enjoying the Thanksgiving holidays were critically injured here Friday afternoon when their two-seat motorscooter was struck by a car at the Avenue S-25th street intersection.

The youths, Olan (Butch) Jones, 14-year-old son of Mrs. D.S. Jones, 2216 38th St., and Joe Mauldin, 13-year-old son of Mrs. Winta Dean Mauldin, 2307 27th St., were reported to be hovering dangerously near death late last night by attendants at Lubbock Memorial Hospital.

The car, a 1950 Ford, was driven by one of Mauldin's former school chums, Mike Boydston, 14-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. C.B. Boydston, 2021 15th Street.

Hurled Across Fire Plug

Jones, driver of the motor scooter, suffered a severe injury. The impact of the collision apparently hurled him 40 feet across the intersection and onto the top of a fireplug.

Hospital attendants said he sustained a deep, five-inch laceration across his right side, internal injuries and multiple bruises. His companion was said to be suffering from severe shock, a head injury and multiple bruises.

Although both youths sustained fractures, attendants said they had been unable to make X-rays due to the boy's conditions.

Had Started Turn

Jones underwent more than two hours of surgery. for the "puncture " inflicted by the "turn-on nut on top of the fire plug.

Boydston told newsmen he was going north on Avenue S shortly before 2 p.m. when he noticed the motor scooter pulling up on the right side of his car.

" When I saw them I slowed down", Boydston said. "One, of the two boys in the car with me said 'There's Joe B. (Mauldin).' Right after that the motor scooter suddenly cut in front of me to turn left on 25th.

"It all happened so fast I never even had a chance to get my foot off the accelerator. I don't know how they kept from seeing me. We weren't racing or anything like that."

Knocked Out Of Shoes

Traffic patrolman J. 0. Tinsley, who with his partner, Jack Bryant, investigated the mishap, said the car carried the motor scooter and Mauldin 120 feet before coming to a stop.

"The initial impact occurred near the southwest comer of the intersection", Tinsleyrelated. "It looks like the driver (Jones) was tossed clear over to the northwest comer where he went over the fireplug."

"One of the boys must have hit the hood since it was bashed in. " Patrolman Bryant said the impact knocked the youngest boy right out of his shoes.

Youth Given Ticket

There were no outside witnesses to the near-fatal crash.

Both the injured boys are eighth grade students at O.L. Slaton Junior High. Judging from the few facts known about the boy's activities Friday, it was thought that they had just picked up some phonograph records at a friend's house and were enroute to another companion's house when the mishap occurred.

Fragments of the shattered records strewn over the street gave mute testimony as to what had happened.

Boydston, a ninth grade student at Carroll Thompson Junior High, said he had been driving for about a year. Tinsley said the youth was given a ticket for driving without an operator's license.

Tinsley said he also ticketed the boy's father for permitting an unlicensed driver to operate his vehicle. Officers quoted the father as saying he knew his son had the car. The family confirmed this. Jones, officers stated, was properly licensed.