Man’s death in car collision

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 5

Man’s death in car collision

A two-car collision at the intersection of Carmen and the Main South Roads led to the death of a man, aged 23, in Christchurch Hospital, the Coroner’s Court was told yesterday. •■-■■■■■ “■ The Coroner, (Mr N.. G. Hattaway), found that Donald Howard Foster died of multiple injuries on November 10. 1979.

Leonard Thomas Fowler, a 'boilerman, aged 53, said he was driving to work along Carmen Road early on the morning of November 10. As he was approaching the intersection he glanced to the left to look at the clock on the Canterbury Electric Power Board building. Mr Fowler said that he glanced at the clock on most mornings and usually had enough time to stop for the lights at the intersection. After glancing at the clock he looked at the lights — at that moment the two cars collided. He could not remember what colour the lights were, but he could not have been doing more than 24 km/h when the accident happened. He said he remembered nothing about the accident, and did not even see the approaching car. Constable Steven Anthony Hathaway said that one car was outside a vacant shop at the intersection. • A middleaged man was lying on the road about one metre from the driver’s door. The other car was 14.5 metres from the intersection, — half onto the footpath. Three males were sitting up against a shop beside the car. The driver of the car, Douglas .Paul Ashby, Was dazed. Mr Foster had been the front -seat passenger and two others, Noel Voice and Graham Edward Rhodes, had been in the back seat.>- . At the time Mr Ashby said he could , remember nothing about the accident, but later at Christchurch Hospital, he had said that the lights had been in his favour. Constable Hathaway said that all the people in Ashby’s car had been drinking. He had found about six empty beer bottles in the back seat of the

Mr Ashby, said in evidence taken earlier at Mataura, that ali the occupants of the car had been drinking, but he had not been drinking at the time. He had been travelling towards the intersection at about 70 km/h. He had noticed -Mr Fowler’s car approachinghe could not remember from which direction — but thought he would stop. About lO’ metres from the in ?rsectionj he _had seen the car going across in front of him. He had veered — “my car bounced off the other car and crashed into a shop.

“The next thing I remember is sitting down, I do not know where, and wiping blood out of my eyes,” he said. Mr Ashby said that he and his friends were returning to Timaru from Christchurch. Mr and Mrs R. G. R. Stewart said in evidence that they had seen a car, similar to Mr Ashby’s being driven at speed in “an erratic manner.” The pathologist (Dr L. L. Treadgold) said in evidence that Mr Foster had died from multiple injuries. He produced a Government analyst’s report stating that Mr Foster had a blood-aicohol count of 37mg per 100 ml when he died. DROWNED IN BATH A mother found her son, aged 18 months, lying in the bath with his head submerged in 15cm of water, the Court was told. The Coroner found that Andre Lee Tolchard had died by drowning at his Strickland Street home on June 6. - Constable' R. Sterritt said that Andre and his brother, aged two and a half years, had been in the' bath. There was “nothing amiss,” when the mother left the children to get clothes for them.

When she returned a couple of minutes later she found Andre lying on his back, with his head slightly to one side and under the water. His brother was at the other end of the bath. Immediate attempts to revive the child had been made by . the parents. The child was taken to hospital by ambulance but was found to be dead on arrival.

The pathologist (Dr P. R. Kelleher} told ,the Court that Andre had died by drowning. DROWNED IN RIVER

A toddler, aged two and a half years, who wandered from his Beckenham home, was found drowned in tire Heathcote river, on June 19, Constable E. E. .Donnelly told the Court.

Craig Raeburn Murdoch had been missing only a few minutes before it was realised that he was no longer on the property. The family dog had alerted searchers—Craig was found lying face down, partly submerged in the river near the rear of the property. Immediate attempts to revive the child failed.

The pathologist (Dr L. L. Treadgold) told the Court that Craig had died by drowning.

’. 'SELF-INFLICTED ’ The death 'of Bernard Henry Ballin, joint managing director of Ballins Industries,' was . self-inflicted, the 'Coroner found.

Mr Ballin, aged 54, died at his Cashmere home, oh June