FATAL COLLISION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 52, Issue 249, 3 August 1932, Page 6

FATAL COLLISION

DEATH OF MRS GIFKINS. EVIDENCE AT RESUMED INQUEST CONFLICT REGARDING SPEED. CORONER. MAKES NO COMMENT. Declining, in view of the evidence, to make any comment, deeming it unwise to do so, the District Coroner (Mr R. Clark) to-day returned a verdict that Mrs Harriett Gif kins died from cerebral haemorrhage duo to injuries received in a collision between two cars, one driven by E. G. Gifkins, of Mount Somers, and the other by the Rev. R. Morgan, of Methven. The resumed inquest into the circumstances of Mrs Gifkins’s death, which followed a collision between two cars at the intersection of the Back Track and the Lyndhurst roads on the afternoon of July 14, was held in the Methven Courthouse this morning. ' Constable J. Robertson, in charge of the Methven Police Station, conducted the proceedings for the police. Tire relatives of Mrs Gifkins and the Rev. W. Morgan' were, represented by counsel. Version of One Driver. Erie Gaylor Gifkins, residing at Mount Somers, said that on July 14 he was driving a car along the Back Track road toward Methven. His mother (deceased) tfas on the back seat of the car, and her sister was on the front seat. As he approached a corner he was on his correct side. He saw a car coming round the comoi on the left-hand side. He was 10 to 12 yards away then. He was travelling about 25 miles an hour, but he could not say at what speed the other cai was travelling. It. was about' the middle of the' road as it came round the corner. After the car got round the corner it was on its wrong sideon the same side that witness’s car was travelling. Witness to the right to avoid a head-on collision. He put on the brakes. The other cai also turned out (to its left). Witness s car was struck on the left-hand side, to the rear of the front wheel. The cars collided just before they leached the grass on the right-hand side of the road. Witness’s car went on till it just touched the fence. There was a pole beside witness’s car on the righthand side when the car came to a standstill. Witness saw his mother lying on the back seat, unconscious. Mr Morgan offered to go for a doctor. Witness gave details of . the tracks at the corner where the collision occurred, and the . extent of the damage to his car. Witness said his mother was in good health prior to the accident. She was 78 years of age. Could Make No Suggestion. In reply to counsel for the relatives, witness said that when the cars came to a standstill Mr Morgan’s car was on the other side of the pole referred to, a few feet nearer Methven. Witness did not look for car tracks after the accident. When Mr Morgan’s, car came round the corner it was in the middle of the road (the Lyndhurst road), and appeared to be to the left of the general traffic track. Witness did all he could to avoid a collision. He could not suggest anything Mr Morgan might have done other than what he did. To counsel for Mr Morgan: Witness did not look to see if any vehicle was coming up on the left from the sideroad. °He did not think that by swerving to his left he would have been able to avoid a collision. They were too close to avoid a collision, whatever he had done. Witness’s car did not strike Mr Morgan’s carl It was the othei way about. To the Coroner: When witness saw the other car coining round the corner it was his impression that it was coming straight for him. , , Counsel for Mr Morgan: But the witness does not mean that the ear was coming toward him head-on. The Coroner: No, he means it was turning in, his direction, directly ahead of him., Counsel: That is the point. The Medical Evidence. Dr. W. H. McKee said he examined Mrs * Gifkins, who was unconscious and in a very collapsed state, with an absence of wrist pulse. No gross injury was observable. She was admitted to the Methven Hospital, still showing no return of consciousness. Examination revealed a slight bruise over the left temple, extensive bruising oyer the left chest, and some abrasions over the right elbow shock passed off after treatmen <■ Mrs Gifkins rallied somewhat, though she did not regain consciousness, blie was restless till midnight, but gradually became comatose, deepening death resulted at 3.15 a.m Witness was of the opinion that death refaultL from cerebral injury and haemorrhage , due to a blow on the left temple. William . Archibald McLauciuan sa a Mr Morgan called at his p ace a. the afternoon, and then proeeedcd to the Back Track corner, and he seemed to be travelling at a reasonable speed, not more than 20 miles an horn, up to the corner. He appeared to slow down when he reached the eemei-. He wo»U not like to say to what speed Mi Mo gan slowed down. witness To counsel for Mr Morgan : W itncM watched Mr Morgan all the time. The roads were dry that daj , ~ was nothing more than a shimme of dust behind Mr Morgans car. Witness saw there had been an accnlent, but did not see what actually Mpened. He traced MrMoignns cai tracks by comparing the tread maw of the tyres. As the corner was approached, the tracks were on the no. rect side of the road. Duncan Harrington, traejor-gra driver, said he was on the Back Tiack Road on July 14, when he saw a cai coming along the Lyndhurst Load toward the Back Track Road. He was about 440 yards away then. . was no obstruction between him and the car. The view was clear. Be saw

the other car approaching him, on its correct side of the road. He watched the cars, as he had an impression they could not avoid an accident. He thought this because the speed of the car coming toward the corner was unreasonable. The speed was about 20 to 25 miles an hour. The car did not •appear to slacken down as it came to the corner. The other car swerved out to its right. A cloud of dust hid the actual accident from his view. He did not know at what point on the road that the cars met. He could not say at what speed Mr Gifkins’s ear was travelling, but it appeared to be going fairly slowly before the corner was reached. The only mark witness saw on Mrs Gifkins was one on her left temple. To counsel for Mr Morgan: It was witness’s opinion that at the last moment Air Morgan put on speed to get across in front of the other car. If ill- Gifkins had turned to his left, very likely he would have come out of the affair without an accident. To the Coroner: Air Morgan did not slow up as he came to the corner, which was a dangerous one. There would be more accidents there yet. There was a plantation there. Mr Morgan’s Statement. Richard Alorgan, Presbyterian Aiinister at Methven, said he was travelling at an easy speed as he went toward the corner. Ho did not think he reached a speed of 20 miles an hour. About two chains from the corner he reduced speed. This was his custom. He looked to the right but did not see any v other vehicle approaching tlie corner. As he reached the corner a car came in sight from his right. As it was coining directly toward him, it was impossible for him to say at what speed it was travelling. He saw this car was hard over on its correct side. Witness thought the safer move would be to go across the road. He got across, the head of his oar just beginning to move round into the dilection of the Back Track Road. He 'did not turn till he judged he was clear of the track of the other car, his object being to let it go behind him. When he thought he was clear he was about to turn when he realised that the other car had not gone behind him, but was bearing toward him. Witness was then just a little round the corner. Witness then swung his car hard to the left. A moment later the other ear hit his front mudguard, and his car yielded to the impact, which was not felt to any extent by witness. The cars came togethei, and then slid apart. About three or four yards from the place of impact they came to a standstill a few feet apart, practically side by side. Witness had travelled down the Lyndhurst Road practically in the centre of the load all the way. As he approached the corner he bore a little to his left. itness was over the centre of the Back Track Road when lie decided to turn to tlie left with the object of getting over the road and leaving it clear for the other car. When witness alighted lie saw an elderly woman in the back of Hi© other car. She was In a sitting posture, leaning to the left. She did not respond when spoken to. Witness said he had been driving motor cars for 16 years. Witness passed the grader five or six chains up the road after he had started for a doctor. Obstruction on Roadside. To counsel for the relatives: When be came toward the corner lie slackened down to 10 or 12 miles an hour, auu was going still slower as lie reached the intersection. His car had fourwheel brakes. He could have pulled up in three or four yards, possibly less than that. He may have speeded up a little after seeing the other car, but he did not recollect having done so, but m the short space of time the acceleration would not be very much. The fence on his right, 10 or 12 yards from tne corner, was so high as to obstruct Ins view of the Back Track Road. He did not think it” would have been possible for him to have seen the other car sooner than ho did see it. *lhe c:us struck at the front first and then struck together again as they slewed romid side by side. To liis own counsel: Witness looked to the right before he came to the corner. At one snot there was a view through a gap on the Lyndhurst Road and another gap on tlie Back Track Road, This was about 12 yards from the corner. The only reason he did not see tlie other ear as he came to the corue)' was uue to a clump of gorse growing right on the corner, tending to obstruct his view. . Constable Robertson said he viewed the scene of the accident in company with All Alorgan. On the Lyndhurst Road, and about 13 yards from the corner, he saw w'liat appeared to be skid marks of a car. They extended for about 10 yards, with a deviation of about 18 inches toward the centra of the road, where they turned sharply to the right, continuing to the fence linn Ho noticed the point of impact and •found broken glass near the grass. The gorse at the corner was about four feet high in some places. Eight yards back there were bluegum trees, and a person standing 30 yards from the corner could see a man’s head and shoulders across the corner, looking toward the Lyndhurst Road, and about 20 yards along that road. Witness obtained a statement from Air Morgan and one from Air Gifkins.

To the Coroner: He could not see any tracks that might have been made by Air Alorgan’s car. ‘ Counsel for Air Alorgan said that in these eases there was always a_ chance of an impression being made of speeding, or some breach of the regulations, but in this case Mr Alorgan could hardly have attained an excessive speed from the time he left Mr AlcLauchlan’s house till he reached the corner, about a quarter of a mile away. The cornei was not a good one. but was not. as had as some. Air Alorgan had looked to his right. If he had committed an error of judgment, Air Alorgan committed it when he endeavoured to cross the road to let the other car pass behind him. In any case, the clash was not a severe one, and had it not been for Airs Gifkins’s a fr e there would probably have been no fatality at all.