ACCIDENTAL DEATH

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 27, 25 February 1913, Page 2

ACCIDENTAL DEATH

AN ITALIAN MUSICIAN. The inquest touching the death of Guiseppe Pisani was continued *by Dr. A. M'Arthur, Coroner, yesterday afternoon. George Stuart Neish, the driver of. the car which knocked deceased over, said that deceased, at the time of the accident, was" crossing from the west to the east side of Willis-street. Before the car stopped the wheels on the driving side bumped over something which witness thought was the harp deceased had been carrying. The wheels of .the car skidded from 4ft to sft to the right, 'so that, as it was previously immediately behind a Willis -street tram' going south, when it stopped it was on the right-hand track. Witness was not trying to pass the tramcar at the time. He put the skidding of the c&r down to the greasy state of the wheels and. the road owing to the rain. The speed of, the car at the time was about four miles an hour. To Mr. M'Grath (counsel for witness) : Deceased, carrying the harp on his left shoulder, could hot see anything . coming up the street. To Mr. Wilford (counsel for Mrs. Nightingale, owner of the car) ; With the car declutched and the throttle right down it would have been impossible for witness to attempt to pass the tramcar. Dr. P. R. Woodhouse, acting-super-intehdent of the hospital, said he believed the cause of death to be shock following concussion of the brain. Olaf Jacobsen, a passenger in the car, said it was on the proper side of the road. At the time it got into Willisstreet it was a little to the right of the east side track. ' Senior ' Sergeant Mullaney t' What mates you remember so well the position of the car? Is it not a fact that you and the driver decided to 'tell the story you give now? ' Witness : No. , Mr. Wilford asked why the sergeant should say that two witnesses were telling a story which was untrue. The Sergeant': I don't sEvjj that., (To witness) Have you and Neish conversed about the proper position since the accident? Mr. Wilford ! That is a wholly improper" question.' , 'The Sergeant: lohly'want his" explanation. His Worship can stop, me if lam wrohg. We are Here to find out the truth. . | * Mr. Wilford :. Well, you can't go on •fishing expeditions and getting yarns in while I'm here anyw.ay. Witness said' that fie had not seen Neish since the accident. Further evidence was , heard, after which the Coroner returned a .verdict that deceased was accidentally killed. From, the weight of evidence it appeared that the Gar skidded to the right and struck the deceased or his harp. Death was caused by ; shock following concussion of the brainy the result of the; fall.