DANGEROUS DRIVING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 148, 12 June 1930, Page 6

DANGEROUS DRIVING

FATALITY NEAR HAMILTON A FARMER CONVICTED Hamilton, June 11. On a charge of negligently driving a car so us to cause the death of Norman Stephen Bradley on April 12th. a middle-aged farmer, August Herman Demler, faced a judge and jury at the Supreme Court to-day. The Crown showed that the fatality occurred on the first day of the April races at Te Eapa, when Bradley, who lived nearby, was walking home along tho grass margin of the road, and had stepped off the grass to cross the road, when he was knocked down by Demler’s car and killed. It was charged against Demler that he failed to keep a proper look-out and that the brakes tf the car were defective. In evidence it was shown that the car travelled 35 or 40 yards before pulling up.

A sou of the accused told the Bench that th- deceased stepped out suddenly in front t. the car. No brakes in the world wou'l have saved Bradley. He alleged that ti.e ca. was shifted some distance after the accident out of the way of race traffic. Counsel fi.r defence submitted that deceased, who was walking in front of the car, stopped suddenly, and it was impossible to avoid hitting him. The jury, after a short retirement, brought in a terdiet of guilty with a recommendation to mercy. A QUEEN STREET INCIDENT Auckland, June 11. When many persons were walking along the footpath in Queen street one Friday night in April a motor car dashed across from the safety zone, and mounting the footpath, knocked down and injured a pedestrian. The driver did not stop, but mquries were subsequently made by the police who succeed■3'l in tracing hin». lie Murdoch K. Brown, a young man, and this morn’ng he appeared at the Police Court charged with dangerous driving. The Magistrate imposed a fine of f.'2.