Crash figures soar at week-end

Press, 23 October 1978, Page 4

Crash figures soar at week-end

Week-end accident figures] for Christchurch already farl exceeded those for the whole 1 of Labour Day week-end last year.

By 10 p.m. yesterday there had been 12 injury accidents, [and 11 non-injury accidents. [Last year, there were 15 [accidents all together. [ “It seems that the figures are going to far exceed the totals for previous years,” said Senior Traffic Officer L. G. Ramage.

Bad weather, and drivers not taking heed of the wet,' slippery conditions, were partly responsible for the rise in the number of accidents, he said. There had also been “the usual performance of drinking and driving.” Maximum staff would be out on the roads today, said Mr Ramage. Apart from the two fatal accidents at Burnham and Linwood in which four other persons also suffered injuries, accidents have claimed many other victims this week-end.

Four persons were hurt, one seriously, when a car crashed into a brick wall outside Burnside High School, in Greers Road, early yesterday morning. Christopher Carnielo, of 395 Harewood Road, was reported seriously ill in Princess Margaret Hospital last evening with chest injuries. Fiona Dingwall, aged 17, of 16 Stormount Place, suffered lacerations and was later [transferred from Princess 'Margaret Hospital to Burwood Hospital. | A young man and a young 'woman, who were also in- ! volved in the accident, have been discharged from hospital. They suffered minor injuries and lacerations. Michael Francis McGeoch, aged 17, of 11 Tralee Place, suffered moderately serious lacerations when a car struck

a pole at the comer of Harewood Road and Chapel Street vesterday. He was admitted to Burwood Hospital where he was reported in a satisfactory condition last evening. A Sumner youth suffered serious head injuries and lacerations early yesterday morning. He is Desmond George Powell, aged 15. of 49 Kinsey Terrace. Sumner. Who was admitted to The Princess Margaret Hospital, where his condition was rei ported as fairly comfortable [ last evening. No details of the accident were available. A young man, who was in-

jured in a collision between a car and a motor-cycle at about midnight on Friday, i s now reported in a comfortable condition in the Christchurch Hospital. He is Mishel Manning, aged 17. jpf 11 Dominion Avenue, SpreVdor>. He had suffered head, arm and leg injuries and lacerations. Graham Porteous. aged seven, who suffered serious head injuries in a two-car collision on the Main South Road at 11.45 p.m. on Friday. was reported to be in a fairly comfortable condition in the Christchurch Hospital last evening.