FOUR KILLED IN CAR TRAGEDY

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 April 1939, Page 5

FOUR KILLED IN CAR TRAGEDY

HUSBAND, WIFE AND TWO SONS, SHOCKING ACCIDENT NEAR MOTUEKA. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) MOTUEKA, Last Night. Four persons, a man, his wife and their two young sons, were killed and three daughters were injured near Motueka this evening when a car in which they were travelling left the roadway, crashed down a 15-foot bank and overturned in about three feet of water in a water-hole. The victims were:— Killed JOHN WILLIAM GRAVES, labourer, of Umukuri, aged about 30 years. JOAN MARY GRAVES, his wife, aged about 27. CYRIL GRAVES, their son, aged 11. KEITH GRAVES, another son, aged 8. '

Injured IRENE GRAVES, aged 9. MARILYN GRAVES, aged 5. JOSEPHINE GRAVES, aged 4,

The extent of the injures to the girls could not be ascertained, but it is known they were removed to the Nelson Public Hospital.

The four killed all suffered severe head injuries, but it was not ascertained to-night whether death was in every case due to injuries or drowning. One boy was thrown clear of the car, but the vehicle had to be jacked up before the injured girls and the other bodies could be removed.

A baby in the car escaped injury. The car, driven by Mr. John Graves, was travelling towards Motueka when it left the road at a slight bend near Price’s corner, about seven miles from Motueka. The vehicle fell about 15 feet from the roadway und crashed through a clump of willows before overturning in the waterhole. It was an old model tourer and was badly wrecked. The hood was caved in and considerable difficulty was met in removing the body of Mr. Graves.

EIGHT INJURED IN CAE COLLISION.

GRAVE INJURIES SUSTAINED BY . . ONE MAN.

DUNEDIN, Last Night. A serious accident occurred at Cromwell early this evening when two cars, one of which contained a party of cricketers from Dunedin, met in a headon collision outside the Cromwell Hospital, eight persons being admitted to the hospital. The injured are:— ANDREW MUTIMER, Scouler Street, Dunedin, internal injuries, dangerously ill."

ALLAN EDWARDS, Loehend Street, Dunedin, cuts and abrasions. NEVILLE RUSSELL, 14 Dundonald Street, Dunedin, cuts and abrasions. ALEX MANSQN, 10 Alfred Street, cuts and abrasions.

JOHN GRAY, farmer, of Hawea, fractured kneecap. FANNY RITA GRAY, married woman, Hawea, cuts «nd shock. ALLAN NOEL GRAY, child, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gray, cuts. Mr. Gray, who was accompanied by his wife, sister and four children, was driving from Cromwell towards Hawea and was negotiating a bend in the roa'd opposite Cromwell Hospital, when his car collided with a smaller vehicle carrying five members of the High ■School Old Boys’ cricket team which was travelling in the opposite direction. The impact was a severe one and the car carrying the cricketers capsized, broken glass being responsible for most i of the injuries received by the Dunedin ! party. Wth the exception of Mr. Mutimer, who was gravely injured internally, the cricketers, although fairly badly cut by flying glass, were not seriously injured. In the other car Mr. Gray, the driver, received a fractured knee cap and bruises, his wife and one of the children being the only other occupants of the vehicle to suffer injuries which were also caused by broken gins... Both cars were very extensively damaged.

MOTOR-CYCLIST KILLED

COMPETING IN GRAND PRIX,

CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night.

Fatal head injuries were received by Maurice Karetai, aged 24, of Lake Coleridge, a competitor at the New Zealand Grand Prix motor-cycle meeting at Christchurch to-day. It appeared that through trying to avoid another rider who had crashed when the front forks broke Karetai hit the fallen machine. He died in hospital. The other rider suffered minor injuries.