CORONER’S COURT Brother And Sister Killed By Truck

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31177, 29 September 1966, Page 14

CORONER’S COURT Brother And Sister Killed By Truck

When a light car was

struck by a runaway truck . travelling at high speed down the Long Bay road, Banks Peninsula, early on the afternoon of August 18, a brother and sister, of Auckland, were killed, according to evidence in the Coroner’s Court yesterday afternoon. The Coroner (Mr A. T. Bell) found that the driver of the car, Maureen Louise Corcoran, aged 20, died on August 18 at Takamatua, the cause of death being shock and hemorrhages associated with multiple injuries and fractures and that Hugh Ryburn Corcoran, aged 18, died on August 18, the cause of death being massive internal hemorrhages caused by multiple injuries. Julius Paal, aged four, and Jocelyn White, aged 20, of Auckland, who were passengers in the car, were injured. Robin Arthur Inwood, a farmhand, of Le Bons Bay, said about 2.30 p.m. on Thursday, August 18, he was driving a Bedford truck from Le Bons Bay to Akaroa. Thomas Edward Johnston was a passenger in the vehicle. The truck was loaded with 16 bags of potatoes and half a cord of firewood. He was travelling on Long Bay road, down hill to Akaroa at a speed of about 10 to 15 miles an hour. The vehicle was in second gear. He had not met any traffic. “I had my foot on the brake which gave way and the pedal went flat to the floor,” Inwood said. “I pulled on the hand-brake and nothing happened. The truck then slipped out of gear and got out of control.

“I travelled about quarter of a mile out of control and managed to keep the truck on the road. However, by this time the truck was swerving from side to side and I could do nothing to stop it. “As we came around a corner we were heading over a bank, but the truck swung back to the right side of the road. At this time my speed would be about 75 to 80 miles an hour.

“I noticed a car coming up the hill towards us. It was travelling slowly on the correct side of the road. There was nothing I could do to control the truck and it swerved to the wrong side of the road and collided with the car.

“Our truck pushed the car back and bulldozed it to where it finished; The truck stopped about 50 yards past the car. No one was injured in the truck.

“I jumped out and went over to the car which was on its roof. We pushed it on its side, opened the back door, got in and lifted out the girl and young boy. A woman was driving and she appeared to be dead. “There was a man in the

front passenger seat and he was still breathing. We assisted him out and did what we coujd for him but he was dead before the doctor arrived. “The girl and the young boy we removed from the back of the car were alive. The boy had bad head wounds,” said Inwood.

STRUCK BY CAR William Francis Henry, aged 57, was found to have died in the Christchurch Hospital on July 26. the cause of death being shock and hemorrhage from severe internal injuries suffered when he was struck by a car driven by Anthony Offley Hall, in Park terrace, near Salisbury street. Witnesses said that Henry did not look to see if the road was clear and walked on to the road. WOMAN KILLED Eleanor Agnes Stewart, aged 70, was found to have died on August 2 in Papanul road because of injuries she suffered when she was struck by a car driven by Terrence Gilbert Kennedy while she was crossing the road. POISONED BY GAS Simeon Francis Barkle, sged 58, was found to have died in a bach at 393 Armagh street, about July 23, because of carbon monoxide poisoning from the accidental escape of gas. HEART FAILURE Henry Kennett, aged 88, was found to have died at Burwood Hospital on July 23, the cause of death being heart failure because of heart disease in association with a burn to the chest caused when his clothing esught fire from a cigarette butt at his home. SUICIDE Alfred John Ansell, aged 27, was found to have committed suicide in a fiat in River road on or about July 23, the cause of death being asphyxia due to hanging. EVIDENCE TAKEN At the request of the Dunedin Coroner evidence was taken of the circumstances in which fatal injuries were suffered by Stanley Basil Gearry at Lyttelton. on July 6, when he was run over by a rake of three trucks on Gladstone pier. Evidence was given that Gearry was trying to release a wire sling from a pile of gear. He was struck by the first truck and fell beneath the second truck and his left leg was almost severed when the wheels ran over It.