"[3] Dodge was instantly killed in an automobile accident on August 29, 1930, when his car struck a tree on the Bayonne-Bordeaux road in Mogesca, France.

Two passing motorists, Henri Dupin, and Paul Theau, pulled Dodge's body, and the still living Ralph Applegate, from the burning car.

Dodge's carotid artery had been severed, and the car's engine was pushed against the back seat.

Marcellus Hartley Dodge Sr. went to the site of the accident, looked at the car, and talked to Dupin and Theau.

His mother also donated a memorial to him at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, which was founded with extensive efforts by his father.