Hospital incident before fatal smash

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33382, 14 November 1973, Page 3

Hospital incident before fatal smash

GVcic Zealand Press Association) HAMILTON. November 13. John Dennis Foley, aged 21. was driving to his engagement party when he died in a head-on car crash, near 1 lamilton, on Friday evening, in which six people were killed.

Earlier that day, the> driver of the other car, Daniel Raniere Horua, 'aged 24, was seen driving in the grounds of the Tokanui Hospital, neat Te Awamutu, from j which he had been discharged as a psychiatric patient two weeks ago. Hospital staff telephoned I the Te Awamutu police be-[ cause they considered he was i driving recklessly and had been hostile to them. Three Of the four other people who were killed in the second car with Mr Horua were patients at the hospital. ■ This was confirmed today ■ by the medical superintenIdent of the hospital (Dr H. R. Bennett). CALL TO POLICE “The police were first called earlier on Friday to deal with the driver of a Mini careering about the grounds.” he said. “But to my knowi ledge, they didn’t come, “Staff telephoned the police later in the day, abouf 5 p.m., but did not get any reply. They then called a traffic officer, who promised to pass on the message. “I’m not sure whether the police, or a traffic officer, then came and patrolled the grounds without finding the car.” A spokesman for the Te Awamutu police confirmed that a call for assistance had been received from the hospital between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Friday. “Matron Whittaker rang to say that she and a visiting

I doctor had been nearly, knocked down by this | ! vehicle,” the spokesman said. | "I was called out on an-1 [Other job shortly afterwards, so I cannot be sure whether! a patrol was sent.” STAFF SHORTAGE All policemen on duty j would have been out of the ' ■station when the second tele-1 phone call was made, he said. Te Awamutu’s normal ■ i police force of 11 men is four | I below strength because of ! leave and other absences. A traffic officer who reiceived the second call from: the hospital passed the | message to a second officer, coming on duty, who patrolled the grounds without success, said the police | spokesman. Later on Friday night, the I traffic officer attended the scene of the accident at Glenview, on the southern loutskirts of Hamilton. Dr Bennett said Mr Horua had been an aggressive patient. “When he was spoken to by a staff member about his driving on Friday he was hostile.” A patient at Tokanui said yesterday that he had been offered a ride in the Mini, but had refused because the driver was intoxicated. The passengers were Mrs Lenore Brumby, aged 26. a voluntary patient due for discharge the next day; Joseph Malcolm Roma, aged 21, also a voluntary patient; Daniel Whiunui, aged 38, a patient ■ committed under court order; land Piniha Haywood, aged ! 18, who was not a patient. “Both voluntary patients | could leave anytime,” said !Dr Bennett. “All they need

Ito do is say, ‘l’m leaving, land just go. We’re not given :ahv choice in patient’s freeIdorn. This is laid down in the Mental Health Act. !. “NOT ALLOWED OUT” : “But Whiunui was not [allowed out. He was given | full parole within the I grounds, and we had an appliI action in hand to have him reclassified so that he could I have greater freedom to come land go.” Dr Bennett said Mr Horua [and the three patients had [dinner in one of the wards, and apparently left for Hamlilton shortly afterwards. The three patients were not noticed to be absent until [7.45 p.m. — an hour after they died. The matter was being inivestigated and a report would be made to the director of the Health Department’s Mental Health Division and to the Waikato Hospital Board, Dr Bennett said. . #^r*#Mr*'r*^*****^*****^**** M