STRUCK BY TRUCK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 207, 2 September 1936, Page 10

STRUCK BY TRUCK.

PEDESTRIAN'S DEATH

FINDING AT INQUEST. (By Teiegrapn.—Own Correspondent.) THAMES, Tuesday. The adjourned inquest was held to-day into the death of James Hands, aged 40, a married man, of Kerepeelii, who was killed as a result of a collision with a motor truck, driven by A. E. Connors, a sliare-milker, of Hauraki Plains, at 7.10 p.m. on Saturday, August 15. Hands was walking al«%g the main highway near the approach to the Hauraki Bridge, Kopu, when he was struck by the truck. Dr. O. S. Hetherington said that, in his opinion, the cause of death was a fracture of the base of the skull, with laceration of the brain. In answer to counsel the doctor said it was difficult to detect after life was extinct whether a man had been drinking. R. W. Ryan, a motor garage proprietor, of Kopu, said he had examined the truck after the accident. He found the brakes to be poor. It took the vehicle about 60ft in which to pull up at 20 miles an hour. The liandbreak was of practically no assistance. The lights were poor. The car was a 1924 model.

A. R. Connors stated that he was driving toward Thames, and after crossing the bridge, he saw a man walking on the right hand side of the highway towards, the bridge. As he approached, the pedestrian swerved to the centre of the road. As he got close, the latter moved across the road. Witness eased up, and when quite clear, the man began to stagger. Witness swerved further to the right, and at that moment the deceased fell towards the truck, which hit him.

The coroner returned a verdict that deceased met his death through being knocked down by a truck driven by A. R. Connors, the cause of death being due to a fracture of the skull and laceration of the brain.