A LEAP FOR LIFE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 14 January 1929, Page 2

A LEAP FOR LIFE.

NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH. .A QUEENSTOWN INCIDENT. The Southland “News” reports that a coaching excursion to Queenstown narrowly escaped a tragic termination on Friday, December 28. _ A four-horse coach had made the journey to -Skippers and was returning with a party -of six ladies on board. The conveyance reached the corner on Bell’s Hill, sa very steep section of the road, narrow, and with a sharp bend overlooking a deep gorge on -the right and with a cliff rising sharply on th<> left. On rounding the corner the coach met -a touring car plying for hire from Queenstown with a load of sightseers. The leading lrorses of the coach took fright at the sudden appearance of the car, coming unexpectedly upon them round the bond, and reared so violently- that they got out of control of the driver. They continued their course in a. wild fashion until within -about 150 yards of the wooden bridge at the bottom of the hill. The driver of the coach, seeing it was impossible to avoid an accident, shouted: “Jump clear for your lives.” Despite their fright they did so as quickly as they could. Only just in time, for a yard or two further on the coach suddenly lurched to the side of the road) overturned, and went hur.tling down the precipice into the gully, about 200 feet deep at this spot. The driver -did not -le-ap clear with the Test of the passengers, but stuck •to .his position) in the driving seat. As the coach went over the bamik he was pinned under a part of the, coaiehwoirk. Although he was very badly shaken, he had a miraculous escape from .being dashed to death, and it was by an extraordinary chance that ihe did not sustain several -broken -bomes.

Mast of the passengers were little harmed apart from bruises and fright, but one young lady was 1 terribly shaken and' on Wednesday had 1 still not recovered. She has returned to her home in Dunedin, and it is feared that she has suffered some injury to her back. The horses also escaped death in a remarkable manner. They went over the edge o|f the gully with the coach, but managed to kick themselves free o>f the traces, and scrambled back up the bank. Twoi of them stampeded atnd ran to their stable in Queenstown. The others were recaptured and taken home.

The taxi which met the coach on the turn atnd gave rise to- the accident conveyed the passengers to Queenstown.