McLean County Sheriff's Office, Illinois
End of Watch: Wednesday, December 31, 1941
Age: 52
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Struck by vehicle
Date of Incident: December 31, 1941
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Deputy Sheriff Joe Bosshardt was fatally injured while assisting a tow truck driver who was attempting to remove a vehicle from a ditch on Route 66 near McLean.
After flares had been placed at the scene to warn motorists of the hazard, a bus skidded out of control at 4:20 am and struck Deputy Bosshardt, causing him to be thrown into the ditch. The bus then struck the tow truck which tipped over before landing on Deputy Bosshardt.
Deputy Bosshardt had to be dug out from under the tow truck before being transported to Saint Joseph's Hospital where he died a short time later of massive internal injuries.
Deputy Bosshardt had served with the McLean County Sheriff's Office for three years. He was survived by his wife and son, who later became the chief of police of the Bloomington, Illinois, Police Department.