NARROW ESCAPE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 September 1924, Page 4

NARROW ESCAPE.

MOTORIST STRIKES A BRIDGE,

CAR SUSPENDED OVER RAILWAY.

A motorist (Mr R. M. Lockhart) had a remarkable escape from death, on Saturday night. When near Lepperton on his way to Waitara his 3-seater car crashed through the parapet of 1 the Lepperton bridge. A piece of timber caught, a rear wheel and prevented the machine falling on to the railway-line.. Suspended over the railway, line, with the mail train due to pass under the bridge in a couple of minutes, Lo,ck : hart ’s position was a serious one, but. by cutting through the back of the hood he regained the bridge and went and informed a porter living near of what had happened. The mail train rushed under the bridge, and, some loose wire striking the cab, the driver pulled up and an investigation was made. Mr Lockhart, who is in the employ of the Taranaki Power Board, is a contractor, and formerly lived at Patea. He was fortunate to escape from the accident, with a few scratches. Yesterday afternoon, when efforts were being made to raise the car, another mishap occurred. The car, which had been secured with ropes during Saturday night, was in the process, of being removed from its strange position by the New Plymouth Borough. Council’s electric'light department’s crane, under the control of Messrs W. H. Huggett and R. Day, when, the heavy weight caught the crane, at an awkward angle and the latter crashed over on its side, almost precipitating itself and Messrs Huggett and Day into the cutting. Mr Day' was pinned against the the bridge, but was able to extricate himself, and the car. was later raised without further mishap.— Abridged from News. > •