AUCKLAND SENSATION

Grey River Argus, 24 July 1926, Page 5

AUCKLAND SENSATION

FIRE ENGINE OVERTURNS. SWERVED TO AVOID MOTOR CAR THREE MEN INJURED. AUCKLAND, July 23. A sensational accident which resulted in one man being seriously and two others slightly injured occurred at the intersection of Victoria Avenue and Remuera Road about 11.30 o’clock this morning, when the Remuera Fire Brigade engine was capsized through the bursting of the right rear tyre. The names of the injured:— D. Catley (driver), head and body injuries. A. Noon, body and facial injuries. G. Sanderson, minor cuts and shock. Captain Robert Robertson, who was following the Fire Brigade along Remuera Road, states that as the Brigade approached the Clonburn Road corner a motor car turned into Remuera Road and the driver of the fire engine swerved out to avoid hitting him. At this juncture there was a terrific report as the rear tyre of the fire engine burst. It swayed drunkenly, skidded for about 20 yards when the wheels caught in the flange of the tramway points And was capsized on the near side.y Z The machine swung completely rouna and came to a stop near the kerb, facing the direction it had been coming from. The driver and Fireman Noon were pinned beneath the machine, while Fireman Sanderson was flung clear. A number of bystanders immediately rushed to the overturned machine and lifted it so that the two men could be extricated.

Captain Robertson put the injured driver in his car and rushed him to the Auckland Hospital. Another motorist followed with Fireman Noon.

The latest reports from the hospital are to the effect that Catley is fairly comfortable while Noon was able to proceed home after receiving attention.

The fire engine was returning from a. minor outbreak at the time of the accident and was manned by the three men mentioned. It is a two-ton Kissell model. The fire-fighting apparatus on the engine was smashed beyond recognition. The steering wear was shattered but the engine itself suffered only slight damage.