DAMAGES AWARDED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 245, 30 July 1935, Page 6

DAMAGES AWARDED

WOMAN KILLED BY MOTOR-CAR

HUSBAND’S CLAIM SUCCEEDS

AUCKLAND, July 29

The amount of compensation a husband is entitled to for the loss of his wife, killed in a collision with a motor-car, formed the subject of a contested action at the ifeupreme Court before Mr Justice Fair and* a jury. A claim for £IOOO was' brought by William Brierly, of Auckland, administrator of the estate of his wife, Alice Littledyue Brierly, against Robert Ernest Hinde. Mrs Brierly was knocked down by defendant’s car in Grey-Lynn on December 10j 1934, suffering injuries from which she died in hospital two days later*. That the accident was duo to the rcgligence of the defendant was not disputed, and the point at issue was computation of the value of the wife’s services to her husband and their two children. Evidence was given by plaintiff that ho was at the time of his wife’s death earning £3 13s 3d a week. He was now employing a housekeeper at a wage of 13s a week. His wife was insured under an accident policy, and the estate received £l5O from it. She had done all her own housekeeping. Further evidence was given as to Mrs Brierly’s housekeeping ability, and as to expectation of life of a woman aged 62, at which age she died. The expectation, according to English insurance tables, said Gordon Brice McSkimming, a clerk in the Government Life Insurance, was 12.89 years.

The jury, after three hours’ deliberation, awarded the plaintiff £513. The foreman said the award was for' the father, the jury considering that he would look,after his sons’ interests. His Honor, in entering judgment accordingly, said ho considered the amount to be a fair and reasonable estimate of what was required to make good to the plaintiff the loss he had suffered by the death of his wife.