BOY'S DEATH

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 120, 17 November 1937, Page 15

BOY'S DEATH

ACCIDENT SEQUEL

NEGLIGENCE CHARGE

An accident which occurred in Jeivois Quay on the afternoon of September 17 had a sequel when Sydney John Knight, a garage attendant, appeared before Mr. W. F, Stilwell, S.M., in -'• the Magistrate's Court today charged with •■negligently; driving a motor-vehicle, on Jervois. Quay, thereby causing the death .of William Thomas Hicks. '-■'

Sub-Inspector J. Dempsey prosecuted. Mr. W. P. Shorland appeared for' the accused.

Alfred Hardy Outtrim, senior sorter employedby the P. and T. Department, said that on September 17 last he was in a tramcar going southwards along Jervois Quay. ' The tramcar slowed down near the Willeston Street stop and he heard a noise which indicated that there had been a collision.

Sub-Inspector Dempsey: And what did you see?—l saw a child in the act of going underneath a motor-truck.

The motor-truck, said witness, was travelling at. between 25 to 30 m.p.h. when he saw it. The boy was doubled up and spinning underneath the truck. The truck had overtaken and passed the tram at the time. When he first saw,the truck it was,pointing towards the tram. After the accident the tram stopped, and witness went to where the Iboy -was lying, He got somebody to ring for the ambulance. Witness said that ■ the driver of the truck.said to him, "He ran from over.' theire," pointing- in the direction of the wharf gates. It was a busy period, and. there,;were a number of vehicles proceeding south. Later the same evening he returned to the scene with Constable Sinclair', who took measurements, but witness did not note the measurements that were taken. He said that the impact of the truck moved the body of the- boy forward slightly. , • , . ■ In answer to counsel, witness said that until he ,heard the sound of a collision he had noticed neither the truck nor,. the boy,. When he. actually looked the boy was underneath the truck, just inside the left front wheel."

Reggie Hunter Thorburn, tramway, motorman, said that at about 4.50 p.m. on September VI he was .driving a tramcar along '"Jervois Quay. Outside the Woollen Company's building his car, which was.travelling in a northerly- direction, was just about to stop. The car was ,not the one on which the last witness:was riding, He looked to. his "right, . and saw ,a lorry making whai appeared to be •• a right-hand turn, and at that-moment ..the lorry passed over a boy. He lost sight of the lorry for a few seconds, and when he next.-saw it it had its ,npse ..pointing in towards the- wharf- sheds'. At the moment, of the impact it. did not appear that the brakes of the lorry had been applied, but later it did appear that they had been. He-would not be prepared to estimate the.speed of the lorry. Visibility and road surface were good. At'that period of the day. there was always a lot of traffic about. ,-: ■■";■■-"' ■: ■■"-"■

In answer to questions' "the witness said' that the right-hand turn the lorry appeared to make' would be consistent with an emergency swerve -to the: right. A: lorry driver, Maurice Thorhas Reid, said that he was .driving a truck southward along Jervois .Quay. When he had just passed the Queen's Wharf gates he saw a lorry about 200 yards ahead of him swerve quickly to the right. He seemed to be-trying to avoid what appeared to be- a folded motorlorry .cover. Witness was too far away to see what, the object .was. There were-a number of vehicles on the. road between where he was and where the tryck swerved. The truck went on. a little and turned into the left. He-was satisfied that the object-he -saw was the body of the boy.. There were two lines of traffic going south at the time, and there were some cars parkedalongside the wharf sheds. . . (Proceeding^ : ■. ■ • ■