MR SANDILANDS.

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 1128, 8 March 1910, Page 3

MR SANDILANDS.

INQUEST ON HIS DEATH

THE EVIDENCE,

A SMASH-UP OF MACHINES AND MEN.

JURY'S RIDER CONCERNING

Lamps,

. -The adjourned inquest on the death of William" Alfred Sandilands was held at the Courthouse this morning, before Mr l≤. Goodbehere (Coroner) and the following jury: Messrs A. Williamson (foreman), J. W. Bramwell, G. B. Healey, D. W. Fraser, W. R. Walker, and J. Aylmer. Mr F. F. Haggitt intimated that ho would watch the proceedings on behalf of Mr Hosking. James R. 0. Lochhead was the first witness called. He stated he was a law clerk in the office of the late Mr Sandilands, and that on Saturday, February 26, he last saw the deceased alive, about 8 p.m., near his ofiice in. Kiinbolton road. His bicycle was standing near the front door of the office, and witness could not say whethere was a lamp alight on it or not. Witness noticed nothing unusual about Mr Sandilands. He was wearing .a cap at the time. To the Coroner: Witness could not be positive there was a lamp on the bicycle. To Mr Haggitt: When Mr Sandilands went from the office he went to the confectioner's shop next door. Mrs Alice Noble stated that on the night of the accident she was in Manchester street, going up on the righthand side. After passing Fitzroy street, a little way up, she saw a man riding down on a bicycle. She saw no light on the machine. Just as the cyclist got past witness, she heard a crash, and the man who was coming down the street called out "Help !" Witness went to his assistance when he had called out a second time, and found, on the road, two bicycles and two men. The bicycles were locked together. The man who had called out (Mr Hosking) was sitting down, with one foot stuck in a bicycle. "Witness removed the bicycle clear of his foot, and he got up. Witness and Mr Hosking then lifted the bicycle jo ffthe other man, whom she found to be Mr Sandilands, who was lying flat on his back, with his head pointing down the street. Other persons then came, and Mr Sandilands was taken into a. neighbour's house. Witness did not hear Mr Sandilands speak. Witness saw a bicycle lamp on the road, and it was broken in two parts. Witness picked w> the portions of tho lamp, which were cold. It was a dirty, wet night, and dark, and the accident happened between showers. To the Coroner: The accident happened she thought between 8.30 and ' o'clock. To the Foreman: The bicycles were on the right-hand side of the road, and the man coming down the road was on hie right side. Mr Hosking was coming down fairly quickly, but not as fast as witness had seen others coming down the street. Witness could not say what time elapsed between the time of the accident and v/hen she picked tip the lamp—it might have been five minutes or less. To Mr Haggitt: Witness thought the cyclist coming down was pedalling. Henry Holmes, residing in Manchester street, said that on the night of the accident he was at homo, sitting on his verandah, and between 8 and 8.15 he heard a crash, and some one called out "Help!" He went out on to the street, and sawlhere had been an accident by two cyclists colliding. The machines were looked together. Mr Hosking was just pulling himself out of the bicycle, and a. lady was there helping him. Witness and Mr Hosking then released Mr Sandilands, _who was lying flat on his back with his head pointing down the street, his feet tangled up in the machine. Mr Sandilands was ta>i.en on to witness's verandah. He never spoke. TEe bicycles were on the north-east side of the road. Witness saw no lights on the machines. Witness sent for a doctor. Dr. Livesey came and attended Mr Sandilands. The injured man was kept at witness's. House afll night, and Itaken home in the morning. He never spoke. Mr Hoslring had told witness that as he "was coming down the street a lamp light had dazzled his eyes, and he could not see any one coming up the street. Witness understood Mr Hosking to mean the lamp near the State School, only a short distance from the scene of the accident. Mr Hosking stayed there for some time, and was both hurt and upset by the accident and its result. To Mr Haggitt: It was about threequarters of an hour before the doctor arrived, he stayed there an hour, and Mr Hosking left with the doctor. Dr. Livesey stated he was called to the house of Mr Holmes, in Manchester street, where he examined Mr Sandilands. It was between 9 and 10 o'clock when he got there. He found Mr Sandilands lying on the verandah, on a sofa. He was unconscious, but not deeply so. _ He had a slight abrasion on his chin and another on the left side of his head, an.l he showed all the symptoms of concussion. Witness rendered me l< aid up till the time of death, at 7 ■p.m. on Monday. The cause of death was injury to the brain s>. bBtance. Mr Sandilands never regained consciousness. Witness v<is of opinion that deceased could ) i-.vo. received the injury which caused his death in a bicycle accident. To the Coroner: There was no sigi\ of fracture, and no sign of internal hemorrhage. To Mr Haggitt: Witness could net say where was the seat of the injury to the brain, but should ji rfre it was near the abrasion. He coc.ld not say whether the injury to the brain was caused by the actual collision, or by the fall on the ;o»icl. The abrasion on the head was on a part which would be covered by 1U cap deceased was wearing, and ihat would account for the fact, supposing the bruise to be caused by the contact with the ground, that there was no gravel on the head. Sergeant Bowden stated he had taken certain measurements in Manchester street, and found the width of the road at the scene of the accident to be 46 feet from kerb to kerb. Mom the kerb on the north eide to where the accident happened was 20 feet, showing both cyclists to be three feet from the centre of the road. • At the scene of the accident the metalled part is only 22 feet wide, and from there to the lamp is two chains 16 feet. He had also taken measurements showing that a free-wheel bicycle starting from Camden street with three turns of the pedals, would go at the rate of 16| miles an hour down the road. Tho trial was made when the road was perfectly dry and a fair breeze behind the rider. From the state of the road and the direction of the wind on the night of the accident, he believed it would be impossible to free-wheel down the road The cyclist would have to pedal. To Mr Haggitt: From his measurements he would say that Mr Hosking was eight feet from the grass on his right side of the road, and Mr SandiTands was 14 feet from the grass on his right side of the road. Witness was of opinion that both cyclists were riding in the wheel track on the north side of the road.

Arthur , Hosking stated he had been on a visit to the Feilding district on the night of the accident, and was riding down Manchester street on a free-wheel bicycle (produced). He had no light on hie machine. He had endeavoured to get a lamp at a bicycle shop in town, but was unable tojborrow one. He mounted his machine at Camden street, after lighting a cigarette, and pedalled down. A little above the school he collided with another cyclist (Mr Sandilands). Witness did not see Mr Sandilands before the collision. Mr Sandilands had no light. No doubt the wheels . collided first, the two riding straight into each other. Witness thought Jkr Sandilands' head struck him on the right shoulder. Witness being on a higher grade, his weight would knock Mr Sandilands- back. Witness got two teeth knocked out, two ribs broken on the left, side, and his ulioulder bruised on tho right side. The only thing he nould recollect was a crack cm the sic?', of the head, and then picking himself' up from the jgronnd It was three-quarters of - an tour after the accident that Mr San-

dilands was identified. Witness remained at Mr Holmes' house till Dr. Livesey loft. Witness vision was affected by the glare of the street lamps. He was proceeding at about eight miles an hour at the time oi the accident. To the Coroner: Witness was on the correct side of tho road. He considered his ribs were broken through falling on a pedal. To the Foreman: Witness was in no hurry at the time of the accident. To Mr Haggitt: Witness did not know the Feilding roads very well, and did not know he was cycling on a down grade. That concluded the evidence. Mr Haggitt thanked Sergeant Bowden for the fair and impartial manner in which he had dealt with the case. Sergeant Bowden stated he desired to thank the witnesses for coming forward and furnishing all the information possible. The Coroner, in summing up, stated the whole circumstances and. facts had been so well placed before the jury that they should have no difficult in arriving at a verdict. It was very unfortunate- that both cyclists were without lights. This habit of riding without lights had become a general danger. After retiring, the jury returned the following verdict:— "That the deceased, William Alfred Sandilands, met his death by an acidental bicycle collision in Manchester street, Feilding, on the night of February 26." The following rider was added to the verdict:— "In the opinion of the jury it is necessary that the by-law relating h riding bicycles and driving vehicles -it night without lights should be strict" , enforced." It was explained by the Coroner I that no reflection was intended on j the local police.