INQUEST.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20273, 26 June 1931, Page 7

INQUEST.

DEATH OF BRIGHTON RESIDENT. CROSSING ACCIDENT. (SPECIAL TO THE FF.BSB.) TIMARU, June 25. The Coroner, Mr C. B. Orr Walker, S.M., conducted an inquest to-day into tho death of Mr Herbert Arundel CrlassoD, of Bridge street, New Brighton, who died in the Timaru Hospital following injuries he received when his car collided with a train at the Washdyko level crossing. Mr F. J. Eolleßton appeared for the relatives, and Mr ,K. W. Saulsby for the Railway Department. Evidence was given by J'ohn Agnow Wright, a stock agent, and William W. Baxter, manager of the Timaru branch of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, both of whom saw the accident. Other witnesses were Jeremiah John Kano, the engine-driver, and Martin Fahoy, guard of the train. Kane said he gave three blasts of thewhistle before reaching the crossing. The "speed of the motor-car would be about 35 miles an hour, and there seemed to be no increase or decrease in its speed. Coustablo Weir produced a plan of the scene of the accident. This showed that'the car was struck in the centre. The Coroner said that it was hard to understand why the motor-car driver attempted to pass the train, when the evidence showed that he must have seen it approaching from a considerable distance. There was no suggestion that he had had liquor and he could only presume that he misjudged the distance and the speed of the train. Ho found that Mr Glasson died in the Timaru Hospital, on June 13th, 1931, from laceration of the brain, following a fracture of tho skull, as a result of colliding with a train. The officials of the train were just in assuming that he would pull up his car before reaching the crossing, and there was no blame attachable to these officials. Accidents would happen as long as the regulations laid down for

railway crossings were not obeyed. Also, it was a great strain on the officials of the train.