CLAIM FOR £40,000

Press, Volume C, Issue 29672, 16 November 1961, Page 23

CLAIM FOR £40,000

Submissions By Defence

(N.Z Press Association) AUCKLAND. Nov. 15. Evidence for two defendants in a claim for £40.000 general damages and £BO special damages was called in the Supreme Court at Auckland today, the third day of the hearing. The claim arose from a fatal car accident on the road between Awanui and Kaitaia in May. 1059. The hearing is before Mr Justice Grasron and a jury. The plaintiffs are Evelyn Morna Mav. of Kaitaia. a widow. Nelson Shannon Piermont Maria, of Kaitaia. a farmer, and Grgo George Drazicevich. of Kaitaia. a solicitor, as executors and trustees of the estate of Robert Bruce May, late of Kaitaia. a former. They cite the AttorneyGeneral as first defendant. Bruce Walter Absolum. of Kawakawa. a contractor, as second defendant, and Colin Alfred Jackson, a constable, of Whangarei. as third defendant.

Mr G. D. Speight, opening his case for the AttorneyGeneral. said the jury may think it strange that, at the late hour of the accident, after a chance meeting with Jackson when some liauor had been consumed, after being out shooting all day. May should .be prepared or interested to go back to Kaitaia to give details for a statement. Mr Speight said it was also important that, unknown to his wife. May had made some arrangement to go somewhere else that night, and that his nuroose in going back to Kaitaia that night was to pick un his car. Mr D. S. Beattie, opening for Absolum.' submitted the jury would find from the evidence they were to hear that Absolum was in no way negligent in the accident, and the negligence was solely that of Jackson. The hearing will continue tomorrow.