FATAL COLLISION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 91, 27 January 1934, Page 3

FATAL COLLISION

CAUSED BY SUN GLARE. COUNTY MOTORIST INVOLVED. ("Special to the “ Guardian.”) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. In the opinion of the Coroner (Mr H. P. La-wry), a blinding sun glare was responsible for a collision in which Arthur John Taylor, aged 25, of 590 Barbadoes Street, lost his life on January 8 last. Taylor, riding n motorcycle, collided with a motor-car driven by Arthur Morgan Stephens, a farmer, of Ashburton, at the corner of Edgeware Road and Bishop Street. An open verdict was returned. Conflicting evidence was given as to the speeds of the car and motor-cycle. Olio witness said the car was going “very fast,” while the driver said it was going at 10 miles an hour. The same witness said the motor-cycle was travelling at 15' miles an hour, but the driver ol' the car estimated the speed at 40 miles an hour. Mr Lascelles appeared for the driver of the car, and Mr England for the relatives of the deceased. Seuior-Ser-geant Fox conducted the inquest. Constable W. W. Devine, the first witness, said lie arrived at the scene of the accident at 8 p.m. on the evening of January 8. The motor-cycle, he ascertained, had been travelling west along Edgewaro Road, and the car north along Bishop Street. The motorcycle was lying on the intersection on its left side, facing east. Blood marks were near the motor-cycle. The driver of the car was quite sober, and did not smell of liquor. The motor-cycle had the front wheel buckled, the front springs were pushed out of place, and the speedometer was broken. The motor-car had the right footboard broken and there were three Lad dents in the right side of the car. He concluded that the dents were caused by the motor-cycle scraping the side of the car. Visibility was quite good at the time. There was a strong sun that evening. To Air Lascelles, witness said that the damage to the motor cycle indicated it had been a head-on collision with the side of the ear. The dents indicated a heavy impact. Witness Saw Accident. Walter Reynolds Sanders, a gardener, of 225 Shirley Road, said that at 7.25 p.m. on January 8, he was riding a bicycle west along Edgeware Road towards the intersection where the fatality occurred. He was a chain away at the time and saw everything. He. had heard the motor cycle behind him. The machine caught up to him and passed him about five chains from the accident. The motor cycle was going so slowly that lie could keep up with it. He slowed down a little lor the intersection, but the motor cycle kept on its former speed. Witness estimated his own speed at about lo miles an hour, and that would be the speed of the motor cycle.

Witness particularly noticed how slowly the motor cycle was travelling. When on the corner the rider looked to his right and then to his leit. Witness also looked and saw a car coming into the intersection on the motor cyclist’s left. The car was going very fast. There was a dull, metallic thud, quite severe. 'Hie car seemed to strike the motor cycle, which turned right round to face in the opposite direction. The rider was thrown oil’, obviously .seriously injured, ft appeared as if the car breakes were jammed on for a moment and then taken off. No Jioin was sounded on either vehicle. To the Coroner, witness said that the car was travelling much faster than, the motor cycle. Mrs Marv-s Wright, ol 12/ Bishop Street, said that the car was not going more than 15 miles an hour. She Heard the crash of broken glass and then found that there had been an accident. George Ronald Burrowes, an accountant, who resides on the corner of Edgeware Road and Bishop Street, stated that on the even ng of the accident there was a. glare from the setting sun. Arthur Morgan Stephens, driver ot the car, said ho was a farmer, ot Lagmlior, Ashburton. The Senior-Sergeant read r statement taken from the witness on the evening of the accident. , , . In this statement Mr Stephens .said that he was, at the time, holidaying m Christchurch, staying at 9 Lindsay Street, St. Albans, tie intended! to return home on January 9, and on the evening of January 8 ho was out for a drive with his wife. They were traveling at 10 miles an hour up to and across the intersection of Edgeware Road On the intersection lie looked ( left and right and did not see any traffic. On going into Lindsay Street, at 10 miles an hour, lie saw a motor cycle about three chains away, coming least clown Edgeware Road.

“Fo'rty Miles an Hour.” This motor cycle was travelling at at least forty miles an hour, according to the statement. The motor cyclist was riding into the strong light ol the setting sun and possibly this was why the rider did not see the car. Had the motor cycle been travelling at a. iegular speed the car would have been able to cross before it. The motor cycle struck the cur in tlio middle or t>lic right side, and the car pulled up m about 10 feet. ' . Tito istatement continued that the motor cyclist, when right on the car, seemed to grip the handlebars more tightly and bend his head lower. After tim crash the driver of the ear went hack to where the cyclist lay and saw he was badly injured. The auntemont attributed the accident to the motoi cyclist's high speed and the sun. Stephens had been driving for 20 years without an accident, knew _ Christchurch well, and regarded this intersection as one of the worst. He .sonneted his own horn, hut hoard no other. Stephens, in evidence, said that his estimate of Taylor’s speed (40 miles an hour) was based on the lorce of the impact. He would not now say that the speed was as much, as that. Mivs Helen E. Stephens, wife of the last witness, gave colrroborative ovi-

deuce. Dr. 0. C. Stevenson, of the Christchurch Hospital staff, who saw JPaylor on his admission, to hospital at 7.45 on the evening of the accident, said that he was admitted in an uncohSCious con-

dition from which lie could not h . roused. He wn» bleeding from tin. month and nose, with bruises and contusions about the face and head. He died at 12.40 a.m. from laceration ol the lira in and cerebral haemorrhage, such as would he consistent w JJ) 1 ls part in the accident. A verdict was returned in nncor .ancwith the evidence, the Coron m aiming that there had been a great deal ol discrepancy in the evidence, although be did not want to suggest that re had been distorted in any way. Tlie actual facts and the nature of the impact, with its results, made it quite clear that Mr Stephens, wa.s not driving fast Quite apart from, any qivs.'vm of speed however, the cause of the accident was undoubtedly the sun glare blinding Taylor, not allowing him to see the car.