"LOST HIS HEAD"

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 137, 14 June 1927, Page 10

"LOST HIS HEAD"

MISS GREENER'S DEATH

RECENT CITY FATALITY

AN OPEN VEEDICT

"There is only one possible inference to be drawn from the evidence —that Lewis, after knocking down the first two women, completely lost His head . . . ." said Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.Mj,- -a-fr ■ the -inquest to-day on Theresa Greener, aged i' 2, who was knocke' cfowh' and killed by a motorcar driven. \y. Bo.bqri Ashwell Lewis at the intersection-of -Manners, Willis and Bouleott "streets,' On Friday afternoon last. „ .•■ '.'•■-' Sergeant Joyce conducted tho inquest. Mr. T. Vi Konaync appeared for the relatives of the deceased, and Mr. D. Perry for the driver of the motor-car. The first witness called was Frederick William. M'Cpurtie, Chief Traffic Inspector,., who. said that he inspected the car shortly: after the accident occurred and found the brakes to be in perfect order. The. gear lever, however, had been shifted out of position and was . in raverse. ' His theory was that thecar, hitting the kerb, forced tlie lever out of'place'into reverse, and jammed it there. ■Gertrude Walshe, sister of the deceased, said,that she noticed a motor-car cpmii-.g-, down Boulcott street and stepped back-on to the footpath. She then waited with her sister for the policeman ,0a point duty to signal another car coming up Willis street. When that car was opposite the Albert Hotel three ladies stepped off the footpath right :in front of it. The car appeared to stop, but it struck, the ladies and threw them to one side. Witness turned to her sister,,and-tho.next thing.she heard was a whirring sound and witness and her sister were knocked down. THE DRIVER'S EVIDENCE. Robert Ashwell Lewis, driver of the car, said; that he received the signal from the policeman on point duty to proceed iip Boulcott street. When nearing the Albert Hotel corner he sounded hi 3 horn several times, and put his ear into low gear.. Whilst doinrr this' ho noticed some.two. or three yards in front of him three ladies.in front of the bumper. He.turned his. car .to the right to . avoid striking the ladies. Witness thought he .was. clear.-of. them, but suddenly he saw one of the ladies' arms go up in'the air, and he realised she had been 1 struck; From that point he was not clear at-all-on what happened. The last thing heremembered was somebody saying, "Gat out of the car." r?his he did. Just before he changed gear he heard a click inside- the gearbox. He had been driving, a car for about two months. '■'-.■■ To Mr, .Konayne: "I am never in perfect health, but at the time of the accident I felt quite well. I suffer from slight nerve trpuble^-an old war disability." He had driven the car involved in the accident only'three or four times. However, he was confident he could handle it properly. . '. ■ Replying to a question from Mr. Salmon, witness said, that; he was under medical treatment for his nerve trouble. CONSTABLE'S VERSION. Constable Chapman, who was on point duty at the coraer of Manners street and Willis street on the afternoon of the accident, said that he gave Lewis the signal to proceed, bift tho engine of the car : stalled; As there.was a fair amount, of .traffic at the time, and us he did not' wish,to cause a hold-up, ho immediately put the stop signal against the car. ..Later he signalled Lewis on; and Oricb the car had reached tho crossing in line with tho footpath witness turned his back on it. Ho then turned .. round again to see if there was any traffic ;to come out of Boulcott street. As he faced round he saw a lady knocked down, and he immediately rushed off the points and made in the direction where the lady had been struck. When he reached the lady she was on her feet. The car:;at;this time was turning and proceeding across Boulcott street. idealising that the lady was not seriously injured, his first thought was -then to endeavour to'get hold of the driver. Lewis evidently had' pulled the wheel, hard to the right, as the car in cross- j ing the road at the same time headed ! down the road-. He kept up. with tho car, saw it jump the kerb, and eventually come to a standstill. A number of people, was standing at Brownson's corner at the time, and several women were, knocked over as a result of the car jumping the kerb. ' Witness did not see this' car strike any of theso women, except the deceased, whom the ear ran over. • "DRIVER LOST HIS HEAD." "There is only one possible inforenqo •to be- drawn from the evidence," said Mr. Salmon, "and that is that Lewis, after knocking down these first two women completely lost his head. The evidence indicates that probably ho acceV . crated his car slightly, at the same time(turning sharply to the right. Now, I am bound to say that there are • some people: temperamentally unfit to drive a car. On the other hand, some persons are unfit; to drive on account of physical disabilities. It appears in the case of Mr. Lewis that he is suffering from some nervous trouble, due from war wounds, and for which he is being . treated. "I propose to return an open verdict, that the deceased met her death about 2.55 p.m. on 10th June from injuries received through being knocked down and run over by a motor-car driven by Lewis. I leave it to the police to take snch action as they think fit in the circumstances."