A STREET FATALITY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1938, 22 December 1913, Page 3

A STREET FATALITY.

fr FIREMAN KNOCKED DOWN BY AN EXPRESS. THE CORONER'S INQUIRY.

in inquest was hold by Mr. J. S. JlVnits on Saturday ittla the circumstances surxtmisdiiiy fJio death of Edward Wilson (a fireman on the s.s. ltemuera), who met his death on Thursday I'i'om injuries'received as the result of being run over by an express on .Tuesday last. Sergeant Xellv conducted the ease J'or the police, while Mr. P. J. O'Kogan appeared lor tlio relatives of deceased, ana Mr. I'othcrick oil behalf of the driver of the express, ti man named John Nelson.

Dr. Eraser, senior house surgeon at tlio Wellington Hospital, staled that deceased was admitted to tlio Hospital at 2 p.m. on Tuesday last. His condition improved at first, but later he had grown worse, and eventually died on Thursday. When admitted to tile Hospital, deceased was somewhat dazed, due probably to both the ell'eets of drink and. the shock of tho accident.

Arthur Charles Brown, tramway conductor, who was working at the point 3 on the day of tho accident, stated that twe men who wero "merry" came lip to him oil the day in question aud asked him to liavo a drink. Deceased was ono of them. After a while they proceeded to cross tlio street, and some distanco from tho footpath deceased was knocked over.by an express, the wheel passing over his stomach. Nelson was driving at a slow trot, about five miles an hour, and was on the wrong side of the street. Tho driver had given a:id mndo no warning, and 110 slackening of speed. When Nelson had seen lio had struck .the man ho tried to stop.

To Mr. O'Regaii: If the man had been driving oil tho proper side of tho street tho accidcnt would never liavo happened.

Albert Edward Totter, City Corporation employee, who also witnessed tho accident, described what he saw. Ho heard 110 warnjng from the driver. To Mr. Petlierick: To witness's mind the wheel' of the cart remained unnecessarily long oil deceased's body (about five seconds). Nelson, however, could not see deceased's body l'roni his position on the cart. Deceased and his friend could have avoided tlio accident had Nelson called out to them.

Frederick Parsons, also ail employee of tho City Corporation, gave evidence corroborativo to tho preceding witnesses.

Daniel Smith, a trimmer on the s.s. Hemuera, and who knew deceased, and. had seen him after tho accident, stated that deceased had stated to him that all he remembered of the accident was having hold of tho wheel. Henry Green, who was with deceased when the accident occurred, gave his account of the' accident, stating that prior to the accident they had had only two drinks.

William Evans, carter, who also witnessed tho accident, considered that the driver of tho express did not seem to have sufficient control, and was driving at about five miles an hour, more than a walking pace. Deceased and his friend could not liavo avoided the accident, as the horse was on dcceascd before he had time to do anything.

Constable Hurley, who was a witness of tho accident, stated that he heard someono call out, and saw deceased being knocked down by a liorso and express. which was coming down Cuba Street on the wrong side.

Witness had asked Nelson why he was nil the wrong side of the road, but Nelson was so excited that witness could not get anything out of him. Nelson was sober, but very excitod.

John Nelson, bottle merchant,' mid whoso express was tho cause of Wilson's death, gave evidence to the effect that lie was driving his express down Cuba Street on December 16 with a load of !)U dozen bottles; he was on the left-hand side of the street. Ho noticed two men' crossing the street, and it appeared as though they had been drinking. Witness-looked straight ahead to tho crossing, and did not seo them again. He had had one drink that morning., Witness did not know anything about the accident tili after it happened. Ho really believed that if he woro on the wrong sido of tho street ho was only so by a foot or two. AYitness had a big load of bottles on, and his liorso was old, so that ho was not going at moro than a walking pace. Witness did not feel the wheels going over deceased's body, and ho doubted very much if the wheels did go over the body.

The Coroner stated that ho had found that deceased had died in Wellington Hospital as tho result of shock and internal injuries,, the result of an accident at tho intersection of Cuba and Manners Streets on December 16, when ho was run over by an express driven by one John Nelson, on the right-hand side of Cuba Street, at a greater pace than a walking pace. The evidence suggested that the driver of tho express.did not keep a sufficient look-out when approaching the crossing.