Three-car collision

Press, 14 October 1976, Page 2

Three-car collision

A man who crashed into two cars at Woodend, and; caused the death of ai j woman driver, was con- I victed in the Magistrates; I Court at Rangiora of driving! ! with an excess blood-alcohol;. I level, and by an act of omis-i sion in relation to this of I causing the death of Daphne! | Ethel Moorhead. A second charge of carej less use of a motor-vehicle! .causing death was with-! drawn. Arthur Oliver Brinkman, aged 63, an instructor (Mr C. A. McVeigh), pleaded guilty to the first charge, and was remanded on bail to ‘ the Magistrate’s Court at; ; Christchurch on October 26,j for a probation report and sentence. The defendant appeared before Mr B. A. Palmer, S.M. Sergeant R. G. Henwood said that about 1.15 p.m. on! April 18, the defendant was, driving south on State Highway 1 at Woodend. He drove round a left-hand bend and went out over the white line By the time he had completed the bend, he was completely on the wrong side of the road. The defendant collided with the right-hand rear of a ; car travelling north, and this had caused considerable damage. He continued driving on the incorrect side of ; the road, and collided with another car, which rolled i over. The woman driver of i this car was trapped inside, and later died in hospital of severe head injuries. i Three children in the car were also injured, and were taken to hospital, as was the defendant. Sergeant Henwood said that the weather had been fine on the day of the accident, but traffic was heavy, I as it was Easter Day.

A blood specimen showed that the defendant had 252 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. Mr McVeigh said that the defendant had committed himself to Sunnyside Hospital after the accident. He

I was a recognised clinical I patient. The defendant travelled to his job as an instructor at a 1 secondary school in Christl church each day, and returned to the hospital in the “ evening.