DAMAGES OF £4894

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30453, 29 May 1964, Page 3

DAMAGES OF £4894

Man Lost Finger (jV.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, May 28. A jury in the Supreme Court at Auckland today assessed damages amounting to £4894 13s 4d in a claim brought by a man who lost a finger as a result of a collision between his car and a truck in November, 1961. The plaintiff was Matiu Kauri Tarawa, of Auckland, a carpenter and musician, and the defendant, Jack Delaval Lucas, of Point Chevalier, a metal dealer. Tarawa sought general damages of £6OOO and special damages of £2lll Ils 2d. The jury assessed general damages at £4OOO and special damages at £1438 9s lOd, including £3OO for Tarawa’s loss of earnings as a musican after the accident. It assessed contributory negligence on his part at 10 per cent. Mr Justice Boys entered judgment for plaintiff and allowed Lucas 21 days to move in arrest of judgment. Tarawa claimed that as a result of his injuries he was untable to continue permanently as a carpenter or to carry on with a music school he ran, or to perform as a musician and entertainer.

Added to Reserve. —Twen-ty-five acres at French Pass, formerly part of a lighthouse reserve, has been added to the Croisilles-French PassD’Urville Island scenic reserves. Also in the area is Collinet Point, where a memorial commemorates the discovery of French Pass in 1827.—P.A.