ROAD CASUALTIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 July 1936, Page 7

ROAD CASUALTIES

man killed at crossing

CAR WRECKED

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

CHRISTCHURCH, July 23. David Williamson, aged 68, a dairy farmer, of Halswell, was killed yesterday when the car he was driving was struck by the Little River train at the Clarence Road crossing at AU dington (.shortly after 3 P.m. rne car was smashed almost to scrap metal. There were no occupants apart from the driver. ’ Williamson was driving along ciaience Road in the direction of Riccarton Road, and is understood to have stopped before he reached the crossing. He then went on the line ami the engine of the train, which was travelling from Christchurch to Little River, struck the car on the side, carrying it along and wedging it between the train and the signal-box which stands beside the line. The car was made a total wreck, and the steps of the signal-box and part of an outbuilding at the back were broken away. . . Wiliamson was very seriously injured, suffering from head injuries, fracture of both arms, loss of an eye. and a gash on the side of the face. The St. John ambulance arrived at

4.15 and conveyed him in an unconscious condition to the Public Hospital. He died at 4.35. live minutes after his admission. Williamson was the proprietor of the “Clover” dairy farm, 2 Sparks Road, where he lived. At the time of the accident he was making one of his daily trips to Kaiapoi, and was carrying milk cans in the'car. He was a widower, with a grown-up family, and is survived by two sons, Messrs David and Thomas Williamson, and by four daughters.

TWO WOMEN KILLED.

AUCKLAND, July 23

“A man who drives a motor-car even at a speed of 20 miles an hour, when he cannot see where he is go-

4ng, is, in my opinion, as much to * blame as a man who drives blindfolded,” said Mr. W. R. McKean, the coroner, at an inquest, when he was reviewing the evidence of a motorist who attributed his accidentally killing two women on the Great North Road, at New Lynn, on the evening of June 23, to his visibility being obscured by the lights of an oncoming motor-car. The victims of the tragedy were Mrs. Maria Evelyn Richardson, aged 71, of Devonport, and her daughter, Miss Alice Evelyn Richardson, aged 30, who were killed as they were crossing the road to board a 'bus for the city, Mr. G. W. Sinton, a farmer of Massey, was the driver of the car which struck them. “It is a shocking occurrence to find two persons killed at the same time by a motor-car," said Mr. McKean, who returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence, that the cause of death in each case was due to extensive injuries to the brain, associated with shock. “There is some evidence that the motor-car was not travelling at more than 20 miles an hour and there is some that it was travelling at a greater speed and that at the moment of impact it was on the wrong side of the centre line of the road. Mr. Sinton claims his vision was affected by the lights of an approaching car. I know how extremely difficult it is for a driver dazzled by the lights of another car, but when he cannot see, it is his duty to pull up.”

SCHOOLGIRL’S FATAL INJURY

NEW PLYMOUTH, July 24.

A schoolgirl, aged eight, died in the hospital two and a-half hours after being run over by a fruit hawker s lorry, this morning. The child was waiting for a tram, in company with her playmates, while the lorry was backing towards the shop. The child was knocked down, and the rear wheel passed over her, crushing the body severely. The driver did not feel the impact, but learned of the accident when signalled by a shop employee. When the driver first sounded the horn, the children stepped to the footpath, and he did not notice them return to the road, when he was hacking.

CYCLIST EXONERATED.

AUCKLAND, July 23.

In a statement made to the police before his death, in the Auckland Hospital, William Braddick, aged 75, exonerated from blame the 12-year-old boy cyclist, with whom he collided in Karangahape Road on the afternoon of June 25.

The statement which was produced at the inquest into his death was; “I do not blame the cyclist as I did not see him on the road.”

The Coroner, Mr. McKean, S.M., said it seemed to have been quite an accidental occurrence caused by the boy’s bicycle skidding on the tramrail as he attempted to avoid deceased. The verdict was that the cause of death was due to a lung complication, following an injury to the spine caused by being accidentally knocked down by a bicycle.

INQUEST ON CHINESE PALMERSTON N„ July 24. An inquest was opened on Sue Dick Kee, Chinese, 75, who was found dying on the highway between Otaki and Te Horo on June 6, apparently from injuries sustained through being struck by a motor vehicle. A hospital doctor, in evidence, said that the cause of death was cerebral haemorrhage. Doctor Milne, of Otaki. said that he was called to the hill beyond Otaki bridge, but when he got there, he could find no injured person. Later, deceased was brought to his surgery by several Chinese. • M. A. Richards, farmhand, said he

was cycling along the highway when he saw a car driven by Whiti Scott, teacher, Te Horo school. At the edge of the bitumen, witness went past about 20 yards, then saw a man standing on the edge of the bitumen who called him. Witness went over and saw Scott standing over the Chinese who was lying with his head on the bitumen. Scott seemed slightly excit-

ed and asked witness to stop the next car to get a doctor. Arthur Taylor gave .evidence of being stopped while driving by Scott. Witness, on learning what was required, proceeded to Otaki to inform a doctor and police. It was three-quarters of an hour before he returned to the scone of the accident and found the car and injured man gone. (Proceeding). COMPENSATION FOR ALL

[SPECIAL TO “STAR.”]

WELLINGTON, July 23.

Payment out of an insurance pool of compensation for all injuries on the road, irrespective of whether a motorist was negligent or not. was favoured by the Attorney General (Mr. Mason) when referring Io road accident cases during his reply to the second reading debate on the Judicature Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr. Mason was of opinion that in dealing with such cases there should lie something similar to the Workers’ Compensation Act. which does not require negligence on the part of anyone. as the basis of compensation. The Attorney-General said it had been suggested that juries in road accident cases would be influenced by knowledge of the fact that the verdict would not fall on the nominal defendant, but on the insurance pool. He did not think the remedy in those cases was a special tribunal. In his opinion, the real solution of the question was an alteratio\ in the nature, of the claim itself. There was no reason for the claim being based on negligence of the man driving a car. If the driver were indemnified by the insurance pool he was not punished.

<“lf juries are diverging from the law through considerations of sympathy. it is because the logical basis of the law has gone.” said Mr. Mason. “The jury system will not stand up to the situation that is repugnant to commonsense. All injuries on the road should be compensated, irrespective of whether the motorist is negligent or not. That is the only solution of the problem, and I hope later to raise the issue in a practical form.”