LEVEL-CROSSING COLLISION

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24869, 8 May 1946, Page 4

LEVEL-CROSSING COLLISION

INQUEST INTO DEATM OF MOTORIST A collision between a motor-car *nn railway train at the Fendalton road crossing was investigated when an was held yesterday, before the (Mr H. P. Lawry), into the d®a?h*® March 6, 1946, of William James Sharni2 aged 74, of 62 Abberley crescent driver of the car. Mr J. Dolph appeared for the Puhu Trustee, executor or deceased’s will “ Stephen Arthur Lovell-Smith said th. he was the crossing-keeper on the pm, dalton railway crossing when the dent occurred on the evening of 5. At about 10.19 p.m. a goods train In proached the crossing from the south is saw the lights of the train when it cam round a bend about 200 yards from S' crossing, and walked out and exhibits a red light in the middle of the The train was not going fast. There a restriction to 25 miles an hour at th crossing. He waved his light to attrae the attention of the oncoming car bu it passed over the white line on road and the collision occurred. It wa«\ dark night, but the crossing wag well li by a street light in the middle of it Th motorist had not at any time shown an, sign of having seen witness’s signals J In answer to a question by Mr Dolnh witness said he considered the speed o the train to be a safe one. . The car w*i travelling at a speed of about 15 miles m hour. The engine was about three-quar ters across the crossing when the impac occurred. The motorist was alone in th car. Francis George Bryant, the engine driver of the train, said that the whjfZ had been sounded some time before reach ing the crossing and again just wha reaching it. His speed had been about 1 miles an hour. To Mr Dolph, he said there was ven little view for the driver to the left of th engine. He had been on the right side The engine itself blocked the view foi the driver on the right-hand side. He a view of the crossing then about J yards from it. Brian Geoffrey Baldwin, the fireman d the engine, said he saw the car comim towards the crossing. Realising it wai not going to stop, he pulled a long blast on the whistle and called on his drivel to stop. A verdict was returned that death, « March 6, was caused by shock iolkwta multiple injuries. Including laceraUoh a the liver sustained when Sharpies’s car cob Tided with a railway train at the Fendali ton crossing on March 5. Other Verdicts The following verdicts were returned i other inquests held:—Robert Mark Shei herd, aged 71, of 11 St. David street, Ac dington, death, on March 20. 1946, due heart failure, following severe athen matus degeneration of the coronaiy u tertes; Lance Michael Pearce, aged tw months, of 62 Burke street, Addiqgta death on February* 18. 1946, caused b asphyxia due to inhalation of voml Thomas Hampton Bennett, 62. of 3 Ed« bridge street, Addington, death on Fel ruary 22, 1946. due to heart failure ft lowing raised blood pressure and athen matus degeneration of the coronary a teries; Charles David Bowman, aged 3 death on December 25, 1945, being due 1 heart failure following hemorrhage fra self-inflicted incised wounds on the wrist Butchers Fined.—Two butchers. Job Cottrell Purdue, of Nightcaps, and Rot ert Lawrence Wyeth, ©f Woodlands, we each fined £lO in the Invercargill Magis trate’s Court yesterday for failing t weigh and mark carcases of meat in at cordance with the rationing regulations.(P.A ,