STRUCK BY BUS

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 19, 17 October 1930, Page 11

STRUCK BY BUS

Mrs. Hannah’s Death INQUEST OPENED Driver’s Angle of Vision The accident in which Mrs. John Hannah lost her life on October 1 was attributed mainly to an Illuminated direction indicator at the right of the bus, which obscured the driver’s vision of part of the road. Pierce James Carroll, the driver of the bus. expressed this view at the inquest, which opened yesterday, before Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., coroner. For three hours yesterday afternoon evidence was heard and the inquest was adjourned until Tuesday morning. The solicitor for the Railway Department, owners of the bus, Mr. Aickln, Indicated that he intends calling expert evidence with regard to the indicator, which is the only one of its kind on the Hutt Road buses, in order to show that the vehicle which ran over Mrs. Hannah was equipped in every respect according to transport regulations. Relatives of Mrs. Hannah were represented at the inquest by Mr. Watson, and for the driver of the bus Mr. Rollings appeared. Sub-Inspector Lopdell conducted proceedings for the police. Isabel Mary Welch, of Wellington, a clerk, a close personal friend of Mrs. Hannah, said she and Mrs. Hannah hiid been to a concert at the Town Hall on the night of the accident, and they walked to the Bank of New Zealand corner at the end of the concert. Mrs. Hannah had very strong glasses, and with these her eyesight was always good. She was wearing her glasses that night, as always. She was wearing a reddishbrown fur coat. Mrs. Hannah and witness had just returned from a year spent in the big cities of the world. Mrs. Hannah had been round the world previously at least twice by herself and was accustomed to city traffic. Mrs. Hannah was very careful. Overtaken by Bus. Philip Wallace Hector, a clerk, said that at the time of the accident he and his father were walking in a northerly direction along Featherston Street When they were opposite the telephone exchange two railway buses came up and turned. The first turned without] incident When he first saw the figure on the road it was only a yard or two from the bus, and seemed to be walking toward witness and his father. He had not seen the lights of the bus shine on the figure. From the way the bus was swinging it was quite possible that the lights would not shine on her. She was overtaken by the bus and the front ot the vehicle struck her. It seemed to him that the right-hand wheels of the bus passed over her. The intersection was poorly lighted, witness considered. To Mr. Watson witness said from the point where he was standing, 100 yards away, he was able to distinguish a figure on the street, It was not foggy. There was no possibility of a pedestrian being confused between the two buses. He did not hear any horn blown tiy the bus, which was going much faster than a walking pace. The body was about half a bus-length behind the vehicle. To Mr. Rollings, witness said that he just had an impression of seeing Mrs. Hannah before the point of impact. He thought the lights inside the bus were burning. The horn might have been sounded. . Dr. Charles Monro Hector, father ot the previous witness, gave evidence along the same lines. When the bus approached witness thought that it'was travelling at an excessive speed under the circumstances. He said this in the light of some years’ experience as a motorist. Driver’s Evidence. Pierce James Carroll, driver of the railway bus which ran over Mrs. Hannah, said that he put out the indicator when crossing Bunny Street prior to turning. When he began to make the turn he was travelling at 12 or 15 miles an hour, but he slowed down while turning. He saw no one at all ahead of the bus on the course that it was travelling. It was much more difficult to see with the indicator out than when it was in. The light did not turn with the wheel, and it was possible for the bus to travel on to a zone which had not been illuminated by the headlights. Witness had his first indication of the accident when he felt the right-hand wheels bump. He had not seen anything in front of the bus, or he might perhaps have pulled up more quickly than he did. To the coroner, witness said that Mrs. Hannah, before the accident, would not necessarily have been in the ray of light at all. .. ~ When making the turn witness could not have been doing any more than 10 miles an hour, which was customary for him. It was hard to pick up pedestrian traffic in the area in question. The locality was very poorly lighted. No Civil Proceedings Intended. At this stage the coroner suggested that further examination of witness might be dispensed with. He had made his statement. Mr. Watson, however, said that there were still several points on which, he thought, evidence should be heard. There was no intention, he said, of following the present proceedings, whatever their outcome, with civil proceedings. He appeared simply on instructions from the relatives, to find out if possible what really caused the accident. Mr. Rollings said that Carroll had come prepared to undergo examination of any type whatever. The coroner then heard Mr. Watson the counsel in chambers. When the court resumed, Carroll said in reply to Mr. Watson that in his opinion the cause of the accident was the blind spot due to the indicating device. This was due both to obstruction and to reflection. . . The bus which he had been driving on the night in question had a special type of turn-indicating device, different from those on other buses, said witness. There was not very much trouble with similar devices on other buses. Mr. Watson: You say on this partitular kind of bus you have a blind angle of vision? —“Yes.” Does that make you careful?—“Yes, you have to be very careful with that type.” At the point of the road where the accident occurred there was a very real danger, witness agreed. If pedestrians were not in the line of the lights there was a chance that they would be knocked down. The lights were not on inside the bus, eaid witness.

To Mr. Rollings, witness said that had he seen anyone in front of the bus he could have pulled up in four or five feet. The buses have a very efficient braking system. He had been driving for 13 or 14 years, and was at one time a police driver in Dunedin. Since the accident, witness had continued to drive for the department. At this stage the inquest was adjourned until 9 a.tn. on Tuesday.