IMPROVEMENT TO CORNER SUGGESTED BY CORONER

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28660, 9 August 1958, Page 4

IMPROVEMENT TO CORNER SUGGESTED BY CORONER

He felt that the powers that be should have a look at the intersection of Rew Brighton road and iHorseshoe Lake road, said the Coroner (Mr A. T. Bell) yesterday. It was an open corner with clear vision all the way, but as three fatal accidents had occurred there in a. comparatively short time it indicated that there was something wrong with the construction of the road. The Coroner made this comment when the inquest into the death of Jacobus de Keijzer, a student, aged 20 years, was concluded. The Coroner found that de Keijzer died on June 5 as a result of a fracture of the skull and cerebral lacerations suffered when the»motor-cycle he was riding was involved in a collision with a Christchurch Transport Boat'd bus at the comer of New Brighton road and Horseshoe Lake road on the morning of the same day. *

Mr H. W. Thompson, Who appeared for the brother of de Keijzer, his only relative in New Zealand, said that he had been instructed that it was felt that the state of the road at this corner had contributed to the accident. Although prompt action had been carried out after the accident the road was still not in • a good state and the changes made were likely to accentuate rather than minimise the risk of accident there.

. Arthur Joseph Shipp, the driver of the bus, said that he was on the way to North Beach when he saw de Keijzer ahead of him on his motor-cycle. The Vehicle appeared to go \jnto a wobble and de Keijzer lost control of it; The driver said he braked hqrd and the bus had almost been brought to a halt when the collision occurred. De Keijzer was not travelling at an excessive speed. Questioned by the Coroner witness said that, the curve in the road “appeared to’ be *easy and many go at it faster than they should.”, At this point the roaa was practically flat and not cambered.

To Mr Thompson witness said that there had been three fatal accidents at the corner in' a short period. After the accidents some alterations had been made, but these had made the corner ”100 Trer cent, worse,” because the traffic from the city could now take the bend at amuch greater speed. Alan James O’Connor, a factory hand, who was a passenger in the bus, said that he estimated the speed of the motpr-cycle at about 25 miles an hour. It appeared to go into a wobble and. collided head on with the bus.

Evidence was given -that xle Keijzer was admitted to hospital in a deeply unconscious state that morning. His condition deteriorated and he died in the afternoon. The matter of the corner could be well looked into to sge if some improvements could be made to prevent further accidents, said the Coroner.