BLASTING MISHAP

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 November 1929, Page 11

BLASTING MISHAP

MOTORISTS’ NARROW ESCAPE. (Per Press Association.) DUNEDIN, November 8. An accident occurred on the Main North Road on Tuesday of last week, under circumstances of an unusual nature. Two occupants of a five-seat-er Rugby Sedan motor car, C. Bezar (commercial traveller, of Christchurch) and his daughter, had an almost miraculous escape from injury. Miss Bezar was driving the car through a cutting on the Kartigi Road, in the vicinity of overhead bridges, when, without warning, a charge which had been laid inside of the road during blasting operations exploded about S or 10 feet from the vehicle, smashing the windows on one side of the car, and filling the rear portion with stones and debris. Fortunately, the rear seat was unoccupied, but glass was showered over Miss Bezar, who was also struck by a stone, and it was only by her presence of mind that she was able to bring the car to a standstill without striking the bank, though the vehicle was slewed round by the force of the explosion. Mr. Bezar was unhurt and Miss Bezar’s injuries were of a minor nature, though she suffered from shock.

Blasting operations were being carried out by Public Works employees, and it is alleged by Mr. Bezar that no man was stationed on the road to hold up approaching traffic, though this is the usual practice. He states that he had no warning that an explosion was likely to take place. He has made a claim against the Public Works Department, amounting, it is stated, to £BO. A statement that the Department had accepted the responsibility for the accident, and was meeting the claims made by Mr. Bezar was denied by the District Engineer, Mr. T. M. Ball. He stated to-day that inquiries were being made; Three men were working in the cutting at the time, and when the charge was laid, one man went to the Dunedin side to stop traffic, and the other two went to the northern side. Apparently, the car inadvertently got past them. There was a red flag on either side of the explosion to warn traffic that there was danger ahead, but the flag on the north side might not have been held by an employee at the time that the car went past. The matter was under consideration, and inquiries were being made as to what actually did happen. The Department had not admitted any negligence.