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Woman who made headlines as girl in ’62 dies
BOARDMAN
A woman thrust into the local spotlight during a tragic accident in the 1960s has died.
Janice Hernan Morris, 56, died in her sleep Saturday. Services were Thursday at Fox Funeral Home in Boardman and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Austintown.
Morris, then Janice Hernan, was 7 when she fell into an excavation ditch on Youngstown’s North Side and was pinned by an earth-boring auger June 13, 1962. After safety officials worked for 90 minutes to free her, she was taken to a hospital where her right leg was amputated. Hundreds watched the rescue, according to news reports.
“Her story was probably as big at the time for the media sources available as they would be for ‘Baby Jessica,’” said Ken Hernan, one of Morris’ brothers. “Baby Jessica” refers to Jessica McClure Morales, who was rescued after falling into a Texas well when she was 18 months old in 1987.
Ken, 46, of Ellsworth, said he was born after Morris’ accident.
“This is the only way I’ve ever known her, and I can tell you that if you asked her, she was not handicapped,” he said.
Morris was a 1973 graduate of Austintown Fitch High School and played in the Fitch marching band and later the Warren Military Band.
Although the accident was splashed across front pages, the greatest story came after, said Tom Hernan, Morris’ older brother.
“It’s the way she dealt with it,” said Tom, 57, of Madison, Ohio.
“She would go roller skating and riding her bike. She was doing more with one leg than a lot of kids do with two. She refused not to be able to keep up with the rest of the kids, and that’s just the way she led her life,” he continued.
Even former Youngstown Fire Chief Fred G. Bowser was quoted saying: “I never saw a child with more pluck in my life.”
She also had an “incredible sense of humor,” Ken said.
“She used the leg as a prop sometimes,” he said, adding that Janice would turn the prosthesis backward while walking in the snow so her footprints would go in opposite directions.
Tom said Morris was an inspiration to many people.
“She’s the type of person who always had something nice to say. It’s tough to walk to a grocery store in Youngstown where you’re not bumping into people who know her,” Tom said.
Morris married Jere L. Morris on April 1, 1978. They have four children, Molly Morris, Katie Morris, Annie Morris and Dan Morris.
“Her kids always came first. She was a wonderful mother,” Tom said.