A Lawrence County man and two young sons are mourning the loss of a wife and mother today after an unlikely Friday morning fatal accident.

Saturday, November 20, 1999

A Lawrence County man and two young sons are mourning the loss of a wife and mother today after an unlikely Friday morning fatal accident.

At about 8 a.m., Tabitha Cronin, 23, 1899 County Road 103, Ironton, was attempting to start her blue Chevrolet Nova, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department reports said. When the vehicle didn’t start, she left her two sons, ages 2 and 4, in the car and opened the hood to check the battery.

The car apparently lurched forward, pinning Mrs. Cronin beneath the vehicle, reports said. The vehicle moved forward with force enough to knock over a large propane tank sitting in the family’s yard.

While Mrs. Cronin was pinned beneath the vehicle, her oldest son ran to the family’s home to wake John Cronin, who ran from the home to assist his wife.

After gaining the help of a bus driver, Cronin was able to start the vehicle and get Mrs. Cronin out from beneath the tires, reports said.

Cronin and neighbors contacted the authorities and attempted to revive Mrs. Cronin with CPR, which Southeast Ohio Emergency Medical Service technicians continued after arriving on the scene.

Mrs. Cronin’s injuries, however, which were listed in reports as being on her face, head, abdomen and leg, were too severe and she was pronounced dead at a local hospital.