Edward Meagher

Henderson Home News

March 15, 1956

Public Safety Officer Killed in the line of Duty

Thirty five year old Ed Meagher, Henderson Public Safety Officer since January of 1954 and a veteran law enforcement official, was killed instantly shortly after 6 o’clock Tuesday evening when the new city fire truck he was driving to answer an alarm in Victory Village crashed broadside into an Arden Dairy truck at the Boulder Highway and Vegas Wash intersection.

Meagher’s untimely death followed less than two hours after he was informed he had been the city’s acting assistant fire chief.

The Henderson policeman-fireman became the first city employee to be killed in the line of duty since incorporation and only the second in the 14 year history of the community…

Meagher, who lived at 126 Beech St. is survived locally by his widow, Marcia, and employee of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce…

Meagher had been on duty for about two hours Tuesday when a report was received at the station of a mattress fire in Dormitory A in Victory Village. He climbed on the new fire truck and immediately left alone for the scene with the truck’s red light blinking and the siren wailing.

At the intersection, the fire truck crashed broadside into the milk truck being driven by a man authorities identified as Howard Webb, 35 of Cedar City. Also riding in the milk truck was another man, identified as Russell Christian, about 25, and a Las Vegas resident…

Webb, who suffered only minor injuries, was held for investigation of manslaughter according to Public Safety official…

Meagher joined the department in January 1954 and previously had been a member of the Las Vegas Police Department and the Clark County Sheriff’s force. Prior to that he had been a state policeman in Connecticut…

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