CAR STRUCK BY TRAIN

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21858, 11 August 1936, Page 9

CAR STRUCK BY TRAIN

ACCIDENT AT CLARENCE ROAD

INQUEST ON DAIRY FARMER’S DEATH

The death of David Williamson, 9 dairy farmer, aged 63, of Halswell, who was killed when his car collided with the Christchurch-Little River train on July 23, was investigated at an inquest at the courthouse yesterday. A verdict of accidental death was returned, the coroner, Mr E. C. Levvey, adding that there was no evidence of neglect or omission on the part of officers of the Railway Department, which might have contributed to the accident.

Williamson’s relatives were represented by Mr W. B, Lascelles, and the Railway Department by the traffic inspector, Mr N. S, Dew. Colin Graeme Hunter, acting house surgeon at the Christchurch Public Hospital, said that Williamson was admitted to hospital suffering from extensive shock and prostration. He was suffering from haemorrhage oi the nose and a scalp wound, and died at 4.40 p.m. The cause of death wag severe shock from extensive injury.

Eng’ne-driver's Evidence Arthur Henry Bartlett, engine-driver, said that on the afteriioon of the accident he was driving the Christchurcht Little River passenger train. Whop the train was about 200 yards from the Clarence road crossing, about 4.10 p.m., he sounded a long warning whistle. As the train approached the crossing the fireman sounded a short blast of the whistle and he repeated the signal a few moments later. The hreman sounded the whistle a third time, and called out to the witness to stop. By this time the engine was oft the crossing. Witness immediately applied the emergency brakes, and brought the train to a stop, with the van about halfway over the crossing and the engine about 70 feet past the signal-box on the west side of the crossing. . ~ , . Witness said the Cu-emaa told him that the engine had collided with a motor-car on the crossing. The speed of the train as it approached the crossing was about 25 miles an hour. When witness climbed out of the engine he saw a motor-car damaged beyond repair, and a man lying on the ground between the train and the signal-box. He was badly injured and bleeding at the face. As the tram was approaching the crossing the wur ness glanced at the electric flashlight on the northern side, and saw by the white light flashes at the rear of the signal that the flash-lights were operating correctly. The electric head' light on the engine was burning in the dim position at the time the collision occurred. Movements of Car

Felix William Skelton, an actingfireman, said that he was fireman on the Christchurch-Little River passensex* train which left Christchurch at 4 p.m. on July 25. The engine-driver gave the usual warning about iSWJ yards before the crossing. At the same time witness noticed a motorcar moving towards the crossing from the southern side. It appeared to him that the car made a left-hand turn to move on to the crossing, and from this v. itness judged that it had approached from Leamington street. The ear was moving quite slowly, equal probably to a walking pace, and the driver appeared to be intent on something directly in front of him, as he did not, as far as witness could see, turn his head m the direction in which the train was approaching. The train was then about 150 yards from the crossing, and witness gave a short blast on the engine whistle. The car continued to move towards the crossing, and he again sounded the whistle. The car then appeared to stop momentarily at a distance of about twice its own length from the mam line, and then continued to move, over the crossing. The witness said he called out to the engine-driver to stop, and at the same time sounded the whistle again, but the car by this time was on the main line immediately in front: of the engine. The engine-driver promptly applied the brakes, but a collision was unavoidable. The car was thrown against the signal-box on the west side of the crossing, and badly damaged. The driver was also thrown clear of the line, and was between the signal-box and the train. He was bleeding about the head, and appeared to be badly injured. The speed of the train as it approached the crossing was about 25 miles an hour. Warning Bells Working

Patrick English, a signalman, said that just after 4 p.m. on the day of the accident he left the Addington station to go to Middleton. He gave evidence of hearing the c.ash and of the damage to the car and injuries to the driver. He said that the warning bells and flasher were working as the train approached the crossing. Thomas Williamson, son of the dead man, said that his father had been driving motor-vehicles for 10 years, and was a competent driver, and to ■his knowledge had never had an accident. He himself had driven the car involved in the accident, and knew that it was in good mechanical order. His father had been going over the Clarence road crossing every day on his milk round, arid would be quite familiar with the surroundings. The coroner returned a verdict that Williamson was accidentally killed when a motor-car owned and driven by him collided with a railway tram at the Clarence road crossing: and that there was no evidence of any act, neglect, or omission on the part of the Railway Department nor any of its officers which induced to or brought about, the collision. The coroner said he did not propose to make any comment, as he believed that the authorities were moving strenuously to obviate accidents such as occurred in this case.