Gilson Net

Nicholas Studer

PCS Elected Director 2022-2025
You're not imagining it, that's a Gilson Net across the back of the ex-McDonnell-Douglas 1969 Stoner-Chevrolet "Crash Wagon." I'm in the process of polishing/cleaning the doorjambs and inner door paint. http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showthread.php?t=21053

There is evidence pointing toward the car serving at the M-D Huntington Beach or Long Beach locations in CA prior to Tulsa, OK. This net and the rear tunnels having amber lenses point towards this. Steve Loftin's notes from 1985 indicate he was told by the crew at Tulsa it had come from Long Beach. There is a M-D Astronautics property tag on the A-pillar, but that division was primarily at Huntington Beach. Regardless, the brass "Douglas Aircraft Co, Tulsa" property tag on the B-pillar indicates it arrived to Tulsa likely no later than the early 1970s.

Kevin O'Connell tells me the name comes from a Los Angeles Central Receiving Hospital attendent who was ejected during an MVA. I found further info in an LA Times article from 2005. http://articles.latimes.com/2005/oct/02/local/me-then2 It seems to be unique to Southern California, particularly LA. Anyone else have one in their car?

In 1952, ambulance attendant Jack Gilson died when he was thrown from the vehicle in a traffic accident. Sebastian had already watched two other ambulance attendants die that way and didn't care to see a fourth. He devised a series of straps to hold passengers into their seats, according to Al Cowen, retired Los Angeles Fire Department chief paramedic who is chairman of the Department of Emergency Services for Valley College.

"This early form of seat belts was installed in all 13 of the city's ambulances, commonly referred to as Brown Bombers," which were tan station wagons "with red crosses painted on the side," Cowen said.

Next up on the agenda is re-installing the front door panels, and cleaning the interior floorring and vinyl.
 

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