OUT OF CONTROL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 August 1924, Page 5

OUT OF CONTROL.

runaway car. THE WELLINGTON TRAGEDY. (BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 4. ~ An inquiry into the accident near *t. John's Church, in which Miss Martha Scatehard was killed and numerous persons were, injured through a. motor-car conveying a wedding party getting out of control, was opened to-day. It was stated that the car which caused the death of Miss Scatehard seemed 'to bounce forward like a kangaroo. it mounted the footpath and ran down the incline for about thirty yards.

The bridegroom’s father said that when the car got on the path lie put his shoulder to it in an attempt to get it back in the gutter, but the car moved forward and cannoned into a concrete wall. It rebounded, straightened up, and went like a shot out of a gun down the footpath, scattering people in all directions. He heard the engine started and the car seemed to bounce away from the driver. John 1.. Pickford’ driver of the car, said he applied the hand and foot brakes immediately the car jumped, hut he could not tell why the car jumped forward. He thought the car skidded after the brakes were applied. He had a driver’s certificate, and during the last twelve months he had covered about 3000 miles. He obtained his taxi-driver’s certificate the day before the wedding. He was satisfied the brakes were in good order. L. R. Barber, a member of the firm owning the car, said the brakes were tested on July 25, and were found to be in good order. They were again tested by an inspector the day after the accident, when it was found that the foot brake would pull the car up on a hill and hold it. After the tests he took the hand-brake to pieces and found one boggle broken. He; believed it to he safer to go down in gear with the engine switched off. The police gave evidence that the driver was quite sober. The coroner said he thought it clear that there was a lack of knowledge and skill on the part of the driver, and he had made an error of judgment in. the manner he started the cair. His verdict was that deceased died through being run down hv a car driven by Pickford, but the coroner did not consider that the driver was negligent. The test for taxi-drivers’ licenses, he added, should be searching and thorough.