Death Car: Rescue workers remove body from car driven by Mrs. Fred Eckelbarger that plunged into the Kalamazoo River after slamming into a rickety bridge west of Albion Saturday. Dead were Mrs. Fred Eckelbarger, Lois age 8 and Frederick age 6. Saved were Jimmy age 15 months, moments after the accident and Pamela age 4 who apparently had been in an air pocket and was removed 40 minutes later. All were members of the Eckelbarger family.

The News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, Michigan, Monday, December 5, 1966

Albion Mother, Two Children Die As Car Skids into River By Mary Joe Young

Albion -- An Albion mother and two of her children were killed Friday afternoon when their car skidded, slammed into a rickety bridge one and one-half miles west of here and then plunged upside down in the Kalamazoo River.
Two other children were rescued -- one after she had been trapped in the submerged car for 40 minutes.
Dead are Mrs. Fred (Martha Lois) Eckelbarger, 27, of 109 Berrien St., her daughter, Lois, 8, and her son, Frederick,6.
Saved by rescuers who plunged into the water moments after the accident was Jimmy, 15 months old. Later, Pamela, 4, who apparently had been in an air pocket, was pulled out of the car.
The accident took place on B Drive N., 50 feet east of the 25 1/2 Mile Road about 4:20 p.m. Friday. Wendell Bishop of Route 2 said he saw the car slide for approximately 100 feet before it struck the bridge. Apparently Mrs. Eckelbarger, who was driving east, had jammed on the brakes when the car began to skid, he said.
Tells of Crash
"The car hit the old wooden bridge, tore part of it out, and then plunged 10 feet down an embankment," Bishop told officers. "The car went down end over end, coming to rest on its top in about four feet of water. It was completely submerged except for the tips of the wheels."
Bishop rushed to the rescue, pausing only to flag down Lawrence Brown of Albion. Together they clambered down the snow-covered banks and into the icy water.
As they opened up one of the car doors they saw little Jimmy, who was partially floating because of the protection against the water afforded by his heavy snow suit.
Brown pulled out Jimmy, and passed him over to Millard Perry of Columbus Court who had also stopped to help.
Perry took the child back to his car and handed him to his wife. As he started to rush back to the submerged vehicle, Mrs. Perry screamed that the baby wasn't breathing.
Perry rushed back and gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the child, and when sheriff's officers arrived, cntinued his efforts in the patrol car until they reached Sheldon Memorial Hospital. Little Jimmy was listed in fair condition today.
Meanwhile the others were probing into the car, handicapped by lack of visibility. Feeling around in the waist-deep water, they couldn't reach anyone else.
Finally the wreckers arrived. They hooked the car and turned it over. As they did so, little Pamela looked out of the window. She had apparently been protected by an air pocket.
Pamela was dry when they first saw her, but the water poured in on her as they pulled her free. As in the case of Jimmy, she suffered severe exposure, but her condition also was listed as fair at the hospital today.
Shortly after, the rescuers found the body of Lois. Then the body of Mrs. Eckelbarger was recovered. The rescuers thought they had found everyone -- but then they saw a pair of boots under the front seat, and they pulled out the body of Frederick.
Mrs. Eckelbarger was returning to town after buying eggs at an egg farm. Her husband told sheriff's officers that he was supposed to pick up the eggs after he left work, but his wife had decided to go to give the children an outing.
Many Aid in Rescue
Aiding in rescue efforts were Sgt. Roger Dean and Deputies Sam Trippett and James Keyes of the Calhoun County Sheriff's Dept. Chief Carl Hatch of the Albion police force also assisted, as did Ray Zick and John Markovitch, who came out in the wrecker, and volunteer fireman Gene Bochike.
Shortly before the accident occurred, children of the family had told their teachers that their parents had purchased railroad tickets Wednesday for a three-week California vacation.
Mrs. Eckelbarger was born Feb. 17, 1939, in Indiana, a daughter of the Rev. M. D. and Edna (Porter) Elston. The family moved to Niles when she was a child and she attended Niles public schools, and was graduated from Niles High School in 1957.
Married in 1957
On July 20, 1957, she was married to Frederick Eckelbarger in Clare, Mich., and they moved to Albion in 1959. She was a member of the Church of God of Albion.
In addition to her husband and the two children, she is survived by her parents, who live in Jacksonville, N.C.; a brother, Marion of Jacksonville; two sisters, Mrs. Gareth (Marcella) Abell of Anderson, Ind., and Mrs. Phillip (Helen) Hempel of Niles, and her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Porter of Strough, Ind.
Lois Mae Eckelbarger was born Sept. 10, 1958, in Red Bluff, Calif. She attended third grade at Harrington Elementery School and Sunday school at the Church of God.
Frederick Dale was born April 15, 1960, in Albion, and was a first grade student at Harrington Elementary School. He also attend the Church of God Sunday School. The children are also survived by their paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. John Eckelbarger of Red Bluff, Calif.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday in the chapel of the King and Helrigel Home for Funerals, with the Rev. Raymond Selent of Dowagiac, formerly of Albion, officiating. Interment will be in Albion Memory Gardens. The family requests that persons so desiring may make donations to the Church of God building fund.

Battle Creek Enquirer (Battle Creek, Michigan), Sat, Dec 3, 1966