MOTOR SMASH.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20381, 30 October 1931, Page 9

MOTOR SMASH.

tH ree people killed. evidence inquest. |fE rSS JCAPIEB, October 29. Mourned inquest 011 the victims TW ntor smash at Taradale on of & ", h wa s resumed before the Coroner, Mr A. M. Mowlem, pis trlC , ati Whiti Whiti, his wife, t son died as a result of the an 4. hicli they were travelling from golf links towards Napier lith a telegraph pole at jolfid ApU , who was a passenger in it the time of the smash, gave tieC,f that when she and Mrs W hiti waiting at the links. Whiti .me out of the club house and , one more drink," and refiiii , « e later re-entered with four fi tete '—Desha, Stephenson, Matctke' ®f d . Campbell—and this time W rtp club house for a long time. *" 111 later went to the putting ffitneSS 1 she saw Whiti Whiti and (s&> T - kimr and singing. Later the £ ii»k' (ir • t the wheel. Stephenson's car . in of them. Stephcnf .aid something about a race for m 1 fid or 5s 6(1, being in con- | some maize. Whiti Whiti se r«l6dor nothing at all." ia "L nß on said that they won d have in the race, which took place ■ tanged cars. Whiti Whiti said, about my bus? It it gets i there is no insurance on it. i* In said "Leave that to me." «££ to be to Taradale. They A cars Whiti Whiti taking the 'ffof the'car. The car Stephenson drivine was soon m front, and wer e travelling at a fast speed. S ffhiti's car did not pass StephenEvery time Whiti Whiti tried, f to 80 Stephenson's car seemed to 'Jve to the right and prevent him ffnassing. Desha, who also was in K was inciting Whiti Whiti to » oa'and pass Stephenson. Whiti Li again tried to pass Stephenson the right, but Stephenson's car d ?o iu riglt, .. that Whiti ffiti had to pull over further to the ,i»ht, running into the gutter, hitting , eulvert, and then striking a teleMDh pole. Witness said the accident Sd not have happened had the car a front kept to its correct side. Luther Stephenson, m _ answer to Senior-Sergeant Pender, said there was talk in a jovial way about the race. He kept to the left centre of the road, a d did not think he exceeded 45 miles per hour up to the time of the accident. He emphatically denied that at times lie endeavoured to block the car Whiti \fhiti was driving. Witness said he haw Whiti "Whiti was behind him and endeavouring to pass. "I say, again," said the Coroner, ifter reviewing the evidence, "that the whole affair is disgraceful, and I leave it to the police to take such steps nwingf. those interested as they think necessary. As the evidence has disposed, it is plain that the law was broken to smithereens in more than one instance." . . A verdict was then given in accordmce with the report of the doctor, the Coroner adding the following rider:—, "All three persons were injured in m accident to a motor-car belonging to Luther| Stephenson, which was being 1 driv© by Aati Whiti -Whiti, thich car had been.changed for a car neVmgiug Aati Whiti Whiti, which the said. "Luther Stephenson was driving, and which were being raced from Waiohiki golf links to Taradale to settle a/ wager between the two carowners."