LANGLEY, ALBERT W. - Hutchinson County, Texas | ALBERT W. LANGLEY - Texas Gravestone Photos

Albert W. LANGLEY

Highland Park Cemetery
Hutchinson County,
Texas

1923-1966

Photo/information, courtesy of Edith Guynes Stanley

*Obituary
AMARILLO - A Borger couple were killed almost instantly about 8:45 p.m. Thursday when their automobile slammed into the side of a moving Rock Island Freight Train engine at a marked, but unlighted, crossing on Farm Road 1912, six miles east of Amarillo. Dead are Mr. and Mrs. Albert W. Langley.

The Langley's two children, officials said, orphaned by the tragedy were critically injured in the grinding crash and were confined today to Northwest Texas Hospital for treatment.

Joseph W. Langley, 12, sustained a broken leg and internal injuries. He was pinned in the wreckage for more than 30 minutes before frantic rescue workers could free him.

Linda Fransene, 14, suffered back and neck injuries and was reported suffering from deep shock.

Funeral services for Mr. and Mrs. Langley were pending this morning with Simpson Funeral Home of Borger.

The train, Number 26, was on its regular run from Tucumcari, N.M., to Memphis. Engineer J.L. Jones, Amarillo, told officers he saw the auto approaching the crossing, blew the train whistle several times and then applied the train's emergency braking system, but that the Langley vehicle was unable to stop and the train and auto collided, the car smashing into the side of the engine about midway between the front and back of the power unit.

Mr. and Mrs. Langley were thrown from the vehicle and their bodies were found about 30 feet from the wreckage near the auto's engine which had been ripped from the chassis by the impact. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash jammed the door on the left side of the late-model station wagon, pinning young Joe in the car...probably saving his life, but fracturing a thigh bone and inflicting internal injuries.

About a dozen men, using pry bars and their hands, worked more than half an hour to free him. Ambulance attendants from Amarillo and and from Amarillo Air Force Base attempted to ease his pains during the near frantic attempt to pull the smashed auto apart enough to get him out.

The rear door on the left side was jammed by the crash, the back of the rear seat was forced forward and pinned him against the jammed door.

After several minutes, the volunteer and official rescue crew resorted to axes to free him, using a winch line to pull the door open.

Suffering from apparent severe pain, the 12-year-old youngster directed some of the operations, gritting his teeth when pressure had to be applied to the door.

He cried out several times during the process but was finally eased onto a stretcher from an Amarillo Air Force base ambulance and because of the closeness to the AAFB hospital was taken there before being transferred to Northwest hospital where his sister was being treated.

Investigating highway patrol officers said the auto was going north when the accident happened and the train was eastbound. Ironically, both had begun journeys out of Amarillo about the same time, estimated to be 8:30 p.m.

The Langley family had been on a Thanksgiving outing to the home of Mrs. Langley's mother in Amarillo and were returning to Borger.

Officers had a difficult time locating relatives of the family since it was several minutes before it was determined that the victims were Borger residents and Mrs. Langley's Amarillo relatives were unknown.

Neighbors and relatives converged on the hospital to be with the children.

Langley was part owner of Eckler Machine Shop in Borger and his wife was bookkeeper for the firm.

Albert W. (Frip) Langley was 43. Surviving him are the children of the home, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lester Langley, Borger; four brothers, W.M. (Lefty) Langley of Phillips; Lawrence Langley, Burney, Calif.; Billy D. of San Antonio; Lester Dan of Bryan; two sisters, Mrs. A.R. Moore, Phillips and Mrs. A.S. Johnson, Oklahoma City.

Mrs. Maxine Langley, 35, is survived by the children, her mother, Mrs. Ray Hogan, Amarillo and two brothers, Justin and Robert Hogan of the Amarillo home.

Mrs. Langley's father was the late Thurman Howe, a Borger police officer killed while on duty here ten years ago.

(Published in Borger News Herald, November 25, 1966)

Contributed on 7/15/21

Suggest a Correction

Record #: 437131

To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.

Additional LANGLEY Surnames in HIGHLAND PARK Cemetery

Additional LANGLEY Surnames in HUTCHINSON County

Thank you for visiting the Texas Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Texas, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.

Submitted: 7/15/21 • Approved: 7/15/21 • Last Updated: 7/18/21 • R437131-G0-S3

Surnames  |  Other GPP Projects  |  Contact Us  |  Terms of Use  |  Site Map  |  Admin Login