Wunderlich Altoona Wreck

This photo is of  the aftermath of an accident  at the Altoona board track on June 14, 1924. The driver was two-time Indianapolis 500 starter Jerry Wunderlich, frequently known as, "Wonderlich." Wunderlich competed in the 1922 and 1924 "500" races finishing seventh and eleventh respectively. He was also a Hollywood stunt driver for auto racing-themed movies in the age of silent films. Among those was "Racing Hearts," starring one of the most popular female actors of the era, Agnes Ayres. Gossip had it that the two were married briefly but there is no authoratative evidence. 
 
Wunderlich was born in Chicago but for whatever reason his biological parents were not available to him. He was adopted by a Bloomington, Illinois German immigrant family and took their surname. He spent his final years taking residence at Bloomington's Tilden-Hall Hotel, passing away at age 48 from a stroke in 1937. Note the cigarette in his right hand.
 
This is another image from the Paul Sheedy collection.