RECENT PATEA FATALITY

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 4 February 1931, Page 4

RECENT PATEA FATALITY

DEATH OF CAR PASSENGER

VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL. DEATH

An inquest was l held by Mr. E. I. Hemingway, coroner, at the oourtnouse, Patea, yesterday into the death ioLowing a motor accident or .Sadie once Elizabeth Hodge. 1 Sam Hodge in liis evidence said he j was a farmer, of Alton, and oil January 8 drove t-o Patea, with liis three daughters, Mr. Haxdenberg, Mr. Apataro and Miss'" Mario Thomson. They left about four o’clock for home, he Doing at the wheel and about a • iuilimi'ic from Patea he saw a little ear travelling towards Kakaramea. He sounded bis horn, giving warning that lie wished to pass, but the pther car would not alter its course. He therefore went off the bitumen to pass and nis right hand wheels were off and the iclt on the bitumen. After passing a reasonable distance lie turned to get on liis correct side when the bad; of the car swung round and became unmanageable with the result that it capsized and went over completely, landing on its wire-els. All were more or less injured and taken to .hospital. He would be travelling about 30 miles per hour and he had been accustomed to drive for 16 years and never had an accident previously. He attached no blame to the driver of the other ear and, although he did not move off the road, there was plenty of loom between the bitumen and the edge of the road. It was straight and there was a level surface for some distance. He could not. say exactly what happened but he considered: he. to get on to the road too quickly. The bitumen was slightly oval and the set of the road sloped away. He could not give any particulars of the ear and its occupants and could only give a vague idea of what happened. His daughter Alice died at the bosnital. She was single and born at Alton. To the coroner, lie. did not notice any car coming to meet him, which could possibly explain his trying to get cji to the bitumen too soon. Kenneth lan Honeyfield said he was standing near his garage on January S, when lie sgw two cars travelling to Kakaramea, a big touring car overtaking a small one and travelling about SO”miles per hour. It appeared to be an ordinary passing. The big car went back on to the bitumen and then swerved, capsizing and landing on its wheels facing to Patea- He went to advise Doctor Simmons and found .all the inmates were hurt, some being thrown out. He considered that the accident happened owing to the big car t vine to get back too quickly on to th© bitumen. -The small car pulled up but he could not say how long it stopped in the locality. . ' Dr. William Thomas, Simmons deposed to heing called to a motor accident on January 8 when Alice Hodge with other passengers were on. the road near Patea. She was unconscious, suffering from concussion and a fractnre of the base of the -skull. He nad her removed to the hospital she never recovered consciousness, dying a little after 4 a.m. on January 9. lhe cause of death was a fracture, at the base of the shrill with laceration and contusion of the brain, the result of the accident. .. . The coroner said! he had followed trie evidence very closely and considered it was well given, particularly that ot the witness Kenneth Honeyfield His verdict was that deceased, Sadie Alice Elizabeth Hodge, met her death from injuries to th© base of the skull, following on a motor accident. lhe injuries were caused! by the . car in which she was driving overturning and no blame was attachable to anyone.