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HERALD TIMES Eldora, Iowa May 19, 1964 - A 12 year old Iowa Falls youth became Hardin County's first highway fatality of 1964 Sunday evening when he was killed as the motorcycle he was riding collided with a car one mile north of the Pine Lake Country Club on highway 118 about 6:15 p.m.

Fatally injured was David Eugene Allen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Allen of Iowa Falls.  Death resulted from a skull fracture.  His two-year-old brother, Jeffrey Lynn Allen, also riding on the motorcycle, had his left thigh and both bones in his right leg fractured.  Driver of the motorcycle, Paul Knott, 21 of Iowa Falls, had his left leg amputated at mid-thigh at the Eldora Memorial Hospital following the accident.  Both were listed in "good" condition Monday morning.

Driver of the car was Dr. R.R. Griffel of Eldora.  He was accompanied by his wife, Anne, and nephew Henry Janssen.  The car was traveling north and had begun to make a left hand turn onto the detour gravel road.

Although the exact details of the mishap were not as yet known Monday morning, Deputy Sherriff Eugene Setchell, investigating Officer, reports the motorcycle is believed to have either turned around in the highway and headed back south or turned around where the detour road joins highway 118 and collided with the Griffel vehicle.

The Griffels reported that they did not see the cycle until an instant before the collision.  Mrs. Russell Finster whose farmhouse is located along the side where the mishap occurred, reported she saw the cycle traveling north just shortly before the accident.

Damage to the left front end of the Griffel's 1964 Fairlane was estimated at $50.  The 1962 Harley Davidson motorcycle received only minor damage.

The Allen and Knott families were picnicking at Pine Lake Sunday afternoon.

WEBMASTER NOTE:  I had remembered that we had a classmate killed while we were in Junior High School, but could not remember his name.  I shared this fact with many, among them, Coleen and Marcus Lamoreux.  I received this note from Coleen:

I have been more successful in finding out information on our classmate.  I finally remembered his name, David Allen, while I was trying to fall asleep last week.  Marilyn, my sister, also saw Mike Aldinger at church and asked him if he had any memory of him.  He remembered his name and that the classmates who went to his funeral all walked from school to the church for the funeral service.  Marilyn and I went to the Eldora library to check their newspapers, since I couldn’t find anything last time I went to Iowa Falls and checked their newspapers.  We found a book that has all the Hardin county cemetery records.  We found a date for one of the David Allens that was close to the time we thought it should be.  Then we were able to go to the newspapers on microfilm and find the article about his accident and death.  I am sending a copy to you.  Since his uncle is a Knott, now I am trying to remember if Robert Knott was a cousin.   The article has a different date than the cemetery book has.  The cemetery books sometimes put the date of birth and burial, rather than date of death, so now that I have a close date of death, I will check the Iowa Falls newspapers again for the obituary.  Marc has decided this has become an obsession with me, but I guess I feel the kid deserves to be remembered.   

A MEMORY FROM LOIS [ALTFILLISCH] GEHL: Do you remember that our lockers were assigned alphabetically in junior and senior high.  David Allen's locker was beside mine at the junior high.  The day after his death I arrived at my locker to find an adult cleaning out his; then I heard about the accident.  I've never forgotten his name or what he looked like.