Mexborough and Swinton Times May 7, 1937

Babies Lucky Escape
Runaway Car at Wombwell
Woman Slightly Hurt

An accident in which two women were slightly injured and a baby in a pram and a lucky escape occurred in the new Market Place, Wombwell, on Saturday evening.

While the market was in full swing and the space between the stalls were crowded with shoppers, a car belonging to one of the market traders got out of control and ran away down the market slope.

The car eventually crashed into a biscuit stall and trapped two women, Mrs Jenny E Hancock (24), wife of Mr Frank Hancock, miner of 9 Hope Street, Wombwell, and her mother-in-law, Mrs Mary Hancock, of 4 Milton Street, Wombwell.

At the time of the impact the two women were trying to protect Mrs Jenny Hancock’s baby which was in a pram. The pram was buckled but the baby was unhurt.

Mrs Jenny Hancock told our reporter that she heard someone shout, and adjust and see the car coming down the crowded marketplace. A man was trying to hold it back. She went to snatch the baby from the pram but it was too late. The car pinned her against the stall. A number of men pushed the car off her. Her leg was injured, but she was able to go home.

Mrs Mary Hancock said the baby, Marjorie, aged nine months, would have been killed if they had not shielded her with their bodies. Her left hand was trapped by the car when she tried to pull the pram out of the way.

Mrs George Cutler, stallholder, of Blyth Street Wombwell said the car began to move when a man removed a brick from under the wheel. He tried all the car back but apparently was not strong enough. He shouted to a crowd of people to get out of the way, and he jumped into the car to put on the brakes when it hit the stall. There was great excitement in the marketplace for some moments.

“The baby had a lucky escape,” she said.

Mrs Hancock also was able to go home and there was no serious injury to anyone.