MAIL-CARRIER'S DEATH.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20316, 15 August 1931, Page 11

MAIL-CARRIER'S DEATH.

THE INQUEST CONCLUDED. The inquest concerning tliedeatli ot Harry Saunders, who was killed in a motor accident 011 the Haldon road, was concluded before the Coroner, Mr C. R. Orr Walker, S.M., at Fairlie. The evidence of identification, which » was given by his brother, .Mr E. Saunders, at:the - opening of - the in- » quest, was that the dead man was & || carrier, and mftil cohtractffr, living at j Fairlie. He was.in good health, and* was examined and passed fit and well by a doctor , a month before the accident. His eyesight was good, and he had been driving a car for ten or twelve years. He held the mail contract from Fairlie to Haldon, and ha J been over the road, on which lie was killed, 'every week for a number of "• years. : ' v - ■' Evidence was. given, by Jeffrey Innes, a rabbiter employed on Grays Hilis station, that he accompanied Saunders in his lorry when he left Gray's Hills station on the afternoon of . the accident. Saunders was in ; his; usual health, pnd did not : complain -of not being well. He told, witness that he was late. After dropping -witness, Saunders left for Haldon station. It woulcl take liim about two minutes to reach the scene of the accident after he left witness. . . James Innes; a run-holder, residing on his station at Haldon,. 45 miles from » Fairlie, stated that Saunders gener- ijj ally arrived at Haldon ab6ut 3 p.m. ?• On July 15th, 1931. at 4.30 p.m. he Is' had not arrived, and witness was informed by his wife that she had been in conversation with Mrs Grant, of !" Gray's Hills station,, at.aboftt p.m. ;; and was informed that had passed Gray's Hills, about Sis miles ; from Haldon. Witness; then took his field glasses, and, from an upstairs window, searched along the road, but could not see any sign of the mail ear, and realised that probably the driver had had a breakdown on the road. Witness then got his car and drove down the road towards Gray's Hills, and about five miles from" Haldon found the lorry overturned, about ten yards off the road The time was then about p.m., and on looking under the cab of the lorry, which was wrecked, he found Saunders pinned underneath. I Witness then got .the jack from his car,- and endeavoured ;.to_ release Saunders, but found thr-B^, impossible j owing to the wreckage giving way. He then tried to get Saunders out, but found that this also WASimpossible, as he was pinned under. the wreckage. Witness then satisfied himself that Saunders was dead. The accident took place at a; sharp , curve in the road, 'about- a mile on the Haldon side of Gray's Hills station. The wheel tracks .on the road were covered with ice, and there was also a slight covering of snow on the ice, and it would seem that Saunders failed to take the curve and skidded straight ahead, going off the road. The lorry then swerved slightly in soft ground and toppled over. The Coroner returned the . following verdict: "That Harry Saunders died near Haldon station on July loth, 1931, death being due to injuries i caused, lay. the overt unving.of.a. motorlorry. whicli was being driven by him."-