The first person to die in a plane accident did so in 1908
In 2020, there were an estimated 38,824 deaths related to car accidents in the US. However, in the early days of aviation and motorcars, it was considered more deadly to fly. The first person to die in an airplane crash was Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, a passenger in one of Orville Wright’s test flights.
This tragic car accident happened in 1908, the same year that the Ford Motor Company introduced its Model T for sale. It puts things into perspective to think that, today, cars have become far more deadly than airplanes. That’s why seatbelts are so important.