KILLED BY A CAR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 51, Issue 134, 19 March 1931, Page 6

KILLED BY A CAR

A QUESTION OF IDENTITY.

CONCLUSION OF THE EVIDENCE. CORONER MAKES NO COMMENT. (Special to “The Guardian.'’) WELLINGTON, March 18. Limiting his finding to bare essentials at the conclusion of 1 lie inquest into the death of William Edward Tudor, at Otaki, the District Coroner (Mr G. H. Harper, J.P.) said that he did not think the evidence went far enough for him to say who was the driver of the car which caused the latality, His finding-was that the deceased met his death on the night of February 15, through a fracture of the skull-caused by a blow from a motorcar. Air W. F. Blakiston was subjected to. cross-examination bvi Air E. Parry, who appeared for Alexander Dickson. Questioned as. to his method of stopping Dickson at Tawa Flat, Mr Blakiston said lie drew up alongside the car and called to the driver. I- was Quite possible that Dickson did not know that witness wanted him to stop. There was nothing iid his conduct to suggest that he was trying to get away,' and no attempt was made to conceal the- bumper bar which had been placed in tlie dbkje seat. James Curran, licensee of the Albion Hotel, Shannon, said that oni Sunday, February 15, Mr Dickson called in a little after 6 p.m. and bad tea-. During tea he had a glass of ibeer. He said he had driven from Napier and was tired, as he. had been on the road since early morning. Ho was quite sober and said ho was going through to Wellington. Constable Fletcher said that Mr Dickson drove his car to the station at 10.20 p.m. on February 15, and made a statement, but refused to sign it. Some question! was raised at the station as to Mr Dickson’s sobriety, but Dr. Jacobsen was called, and said he was sober. The only fact that suggested liquor on Air Dickson was a slight smell of alcohol. The driver of the car stopped by Air Blakiston, Alexander Dickson, manager of the Petrous Tile Co., Ltd., Kilbirnie, said be left Hastings between 11.30 a.m. and mid-day for Wellington. He stopped at Shannon for tea, but did not examine his car there, as it was ngt giving trouble. Later on the bumper began to rattle, and witness took it off after lie had passed Waikanae. As far as he knew both headlights were burning when he took the bumper bar off. He was not aware of falling asleep anywhere between Wailcanae and Paekakariki. He did not remember going over the Waikanae bridge, and had no recollection of hitting anything between Waikanae and Porirua. The bumper had been broken before, owing to vibration and had been welded, so he concluded that it had broken) again and bounced up and hit the lamp. Air Parry: “Wliat did you think when Air Blakiston told you you had hit a man?” Air Dickson : “Oh, I told only him not to be humorous. Blakiston said there was nothing humorous abqut.it, and I was supposed to have killed a man.” Cross-examined byt Air Parry witness said he thought it was possible for one of the headlights to go out without noticing it. As far as he knew his car was not involved in any crash. The first indication he had that anything was wrong was a dragging in front of the car, and lie was positive that he had no recollection of striking anything at all on the road. If lie had known he had hit anything he would have stopped but as it was, lie carried on along the main road and did not attempt to deviate from it at all. Mr Shorland: “At what stage of the journey did you put your lights on ” Mr Dickson : “Somewhere between Otaki and Te Hero.” As far as witness could remember He

slowed up and stopped immediately lie heard the scraping in front of the car. When lie got out to take the bumper off lie had no occasion to make an examination of the front ol the car and consequently he was unable to say

whether both headlights were burning or not. In conclusion witness said that his car was dark red, with light red wheels. The car belonged to the firm, and die had never had' occasion to have the glasses of the lamps repaired. Recalled to the witness-box, Constable Sathierly said lie saw one mark on the bitumen near the spot where the body was found. It appeared to b • a drag mark, as if something had' hit the ground and bounced up again.

Mr Parry in addressing the Coroner at the conclusion of the evidence, submitted that there was no evidence to show that Mr Dickson’s car was the one involved, in the accident. It must be perfectly clear that, even if it was Mr Dickson’s car that was involved, Mr Dickson was* obviously unaware that lie had done the damage. There was no sign in Air Dickson of the appearance of a guilty mail trying to escape the consequences.