FATAL COLLISION

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 20, 24 July 1934, Page 11

FATAL COLLISION

NEGLIGENCE ALLEGED

MOTOR-CYCLIST ON TRIAL

. A fatal collision on the Ngahauranga. Gorge Koad in the evening of March! 17 brought Stanley Keith Swan before the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers) and a jury in,the Supreme Court today; for trial on a charge of having negligently driven a motor-cycle arid thereby caused the death of Edgar Wilfred ("Leslie".) London. London was riding on the pillion • scat of the motorcycle.and the motor-cycle collided with a, motpr-car driven 'by. Albert John Daniel, engineer at the Gear Meat Company, Petoiie. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr. P. S. K. Macassey) is conducting the prosecution, and Mr. O. C. Mazengarb is appearing for Swan. In his outline of the evidence for the Crown Mr. Macassey said that Swan, who resided ,at Johnsohville, borrowed a friend's motor-cycle and'caine- into Wellington, .where he met' a friend named Jarvis, who also had a motorcycle. They spent the . afternoon in. Wellington,' Visiting .H.M.S. Dunedin, and ultimately went ~to the Railway; Ho.tel at Thorndon late, in the afternoon. They. ha.d some liquor .there, and left about closing time, 6 o'clock. London then went with Swan to sit on. I the pillion scat of the motor-cycle. The evidence would show that London more ,or less was intoxicated. Accompanied by Jarvis on his motor-cycle they then set out for' Johnsonyille. Jarvis was riding a low-pow,ercd machine, and when he got as'far as the Thorndonccd of the Hutt Koad Swan, with London on tho. pillion seat behind him, was out of sight.. Swan's motor-cyclo cams under tho notice of a City Council traffic inspector, who went in pursuit up the Eorgc road. It was alleged that- as Swan approached the bend near the first bridge his motor-cycle swung right over on to its wrong sido of the road. • Apparently Swan then saw Mr. Daniel's ear coming down the. gorge, and endeavoured to straighten up. Instead of being able to get on -the correct side of the road,' however, the motor-cycle struck the car. London was .killed'in* stantly; Swan was thrown off, and .the motor-cycle was found 20ft behind tho motor-car. Evidence for the Crown -was being heard at the time of going to press.