ONEHUNGA FATALITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 215, 11 September 1925, Page 5

ONEHUNGA FATALITY.

FINDING OF JURY. VEHICLE DRIVEN NEGLIGENTLY. PROCEEDINGS DEFERRED. In the Onehunga Courthouse this morning, Mr. W. R. McKean, S.M., held an inquest into the death of Mary j McKenzie, a married woman, who, on the afternoon of August 13, was crushed between a motor van and a post of the ' shelter shed at the corner of Queen and i Trafalgar Streets, Onehunga. She! received injuries from which she died ! shortly after. With her were her little j girl Jean, and her sister-in-law, both' of whom were thrown to the ground, but not seriously injured. The Coroner found that the vehicle which ran into deceased was driven negligently. Mr. Richmond appeared for the driver of the lorry, James Bridge, and! Sergeant J. A. Cruickshank led the evidence for the police. i Ellen May McKenzie, a married woman, a sister-in-law of deceased, was the first witness. She deposed that at about 3.20 p.m. on August 13, deceased and she alighted from a tramcar at Trafalgar Street, Onehunga. They walked along the road towards the tramway shelter shed in Queen Street. Deceased had her little girl Jean with her. Witness saw a motor vehicle approaching. Just as she reached the shelter, and had one foot inside the structure, she heard a "swish," and was knocked to the ground. At the time deceased was walking between witness and the little girl. After the accident, witness saw her sister-in-law pinned between the van and the centre pole of the shed. When the vehicle was moved from deceased, she cried, "My leg." Witness did not hear a horn sounded. To the Coroner: As far as I can remember the vehicle was at Selwyn Street when I first saw it. To Mr. Richmond: The upper part of Queen Street was under repair at the time. She did not remember a lot of mud being on the concrete. Estimate of Speed. Charles E. E. Pascoe, a telegraph linesman, stated that he was in the tramway shelter shed when the accident happened. It was raining at the time. He saw a vehicle approaching at a speed I which made him think that it would not get round the corner into Queen Street unless the speed w-as slackened. Witness, for safety's sake, began to get out of the shed, and shouted a warning to the two women and the little girl who were entering the shed. The vehicle seemed to be travelling at about 30 miles an hour. It did not appear to slacken when . approaching the turn. Just after witness called out, the vehicle struck the first post of the shed, and went on to the second, crushing deceased, and striking the other woman and the little girl, the last named being thrown • practically under the car. Witness assisted to move deceased, and arranged for a doctor to be summoned. To the Coroner: The front wheel of the van collapsed before it reached the second post. The centre post, a substantial one, was broken. Witness did not hear a horn sounded. To Mr. Richmond: The corner is a bad one. If the road should be slippery, it , would be a had place on which to skid, j' Evidence was given by Farquhar Mac-}'. Donald, another telegraph linesman, to I. the effect that he saw the motor vehicle j approaching the corner at a speed which j made him keep it under observation to;' sec how it would negotiate the "trencher-! ', ous" corner. "I consider that the speed j. was excessive, and a dangerous one at! which to attempt to take the corner," j j said witness, adding that he did not i hear a horn sounded. He did not see the two women an the little girl until they were knocked down. Driver's Version. Witness spoke to the driver of the ' vehicle, who said that the car had skidded ;' and the brakes would not hold. Witness;' examined the roadway, but found no i< indications of skidding. lie • spoke to j the driver of the vehicle, because, judging.' by the speed, he thought he had losi, : control and was unable to stop. "It was travelling very fast," was, the response of John Walker, a labourer : in the employ of the Post and Telegraph 1 Department, when asked by the police ! about the speed of the vehicle. ! ' Stanley Thomas, a salesman, of Mount. : Eden, stated that he was driving down . Trafalgar Street on the afternoon in question. The van passed him at 25 ,1 miles per hour. It was being driven j at a speed much too fast for the corner. ; A Questionable Estimate. j '. Charlfes Henry Cooke, an elderly lab- \ ourer, opened by saying that the motor < was travelling fast and then estimated j the speed at 15 miles an hour. This i drew a query from the coroner as to i whether he thought 15 miles per hour ; a fast speed. Witness thought it. was — ;; for going round a corner. The coroner j smiled. Police Evidence. ] Constable Frank William Johnson, de- i posed to having interviewed the driver of ■ 1 the van after the accident. Bridge 1 stated that he had been going round the i corner at from 10 to 15 miles _tsr hour, < when he saw the two women and the i child walking back from the tramlines. : He sounded the horn and applied the 'brakes. The car skidded and the accident : occurred. Asked by witness to point i out any skid marks on the road, the ( driver was unable to do so. The wheel-1 marks were, however, quite visible. It 1 had been raining heavily. ! i Constable Poll gave similar evidence, i "I find that death was caused by < deceased being injured by a car negli- .' gently driven by James Bridge." said i the Coroner, at the conclusion of the ; evidence. "The evidence of all the wit- j nesses shows that the vehicle was being I driven at an excessive speed. It is i rather peculiar that no one seems to I have seen the unfortunate woman until just before the moment of impact. The I attentions of all the witnesses appear 'o have been directed on the car, because of its speed. There is no evidence i of a skid, hut in any case the speed' approaching the corner was excessive." j Remarking that he had no doubt that j a prosecution would follow-, the Coroner j adjourned the inquest sine die, in order i that formal medical evidence might be j given.