INQUEST HELD

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 55, Issue 32707, 1 May 1946, Page 5

INQUEST HELD

DEATH OF WOMAN SEQUEL TO COLLISION CASE HEARD IN PAEROA That the deceased Mary Florence Johnson died at the Paeroa Hospital on March 2, 194'6, the cause of death being shock and haemorrhage from extensive deep laceration of the right lumbar region and righty kidney and blood l vessel received in a motor collision on the main highway approximately one mile south of the Paeroa Post Office was the verdict given by the district coroner, Mr C. N. O’Neill, at an inquest held in Paeroa. Mr N. I. Smith, of Hamilton, appeared for Wright, the driver of the car, and Mr B Clendnn, of Thames, appeared for Duke owner’ of the truck. Collision Witnessed Alan Phillip Cassrels, dairy farmer, of Te Aroha road, Paeroa, stated that on March 2 at 8.15 p.m. Duke drove him in his truck together with Miss Johnson and Richard Bell to Te Aroha road. Duke had' informed him that he had had trouble with his lights. When they reached Te Aroha road they all went into Mrs Freethy’s house and then Duke went out to fix his lights. He (Casstels) later left the house and proceeded to his home some hundred yards nearer Paeroa. On the way he noticed Duke working near the engine of his . truck with a torch. The truck was parked well to the left of the road and was unlighted. When Cassrels was about a chain and a half past the parked truck he saw a car coming from Paeroa with good lights. The car struck the rear of the truck with a loud crash and then careered along the road pulling up alongside of a telephone post by Mrs Freethy’s gate with the engine racing furiously. He had seen no other vehicle about at the time of the accident. He had gone back and found-that Miss Johnson, now deceased, lying badly injured in front of the right hand front wheel of the truck and Duke lying also injured in front of the deft front wheel of the' truck. Was Fixing Lights Dr. S. L. Haslett, of Paeroa, gave evidence of injuries received by Miss Johnson and Duke. Frank Gurkert Duke, bottle merchant,. o'f Thames, described; how he left the Paeroa Post Office to drive to Cassrel’s farm. At the Criterion Hotel Cassrels had asked him' to stop so that he could pick up l Miss Johnson. They then proceeded to Mrs Freethy’s house, his headlights fusing on the way. He parked the truck well to the left of the road with the left hand wheels on the roadside grass. The party then went into Mrs Freethy’s where he obtained a torch and returned to the truck to fix the lights. While working on the lights he looked up and saw Miss Johnson standing alongside the right hand cab door of the truck with her back to the door. Bell was standing nearby, while he, Duke, was standing on the right hand side of the engine. He next heard Miss Johnson scream and looked up as a car coming from Paeroa crashed into the truck. He and l Miss Johnson were struck by the car and thrown in front of the truck. As a result of the collision the tray of the truck was broken. Dazzled by Lights-. ! Darrick Nelson Wright, of Puriri, i a returned soldier who arrived in New I Zealand on February 22, stated that he was a motor truck driver prior to entering the army and while in the army. On Saturday, March 2', he had been loaned a car and had driven from Puriri with his wife, and Mr and Mrs F. R. Thomas, of Puriri, to a dance at Paeroa. After attending the Paeroa dance for a short while they left intending to go to Te Aroha. As they were nearing the Mill road intersection on the Paeroa-Te Aroha main highway he saw a motor vehicle with very bright headlights approaching. He dipped his headlights but the other vehicle did not and' the lights dazzled him-. He removed, his foot from the accelerator and'braked-, reducing speed considerably. Immediately the vehicle with the bright headlights, passed him. he saw a large object directly in front which turned out to be Duke’s motor truck. Duke’s truck was unlighted and there was no street lamp near by. He swerved his car to the right to miss the truck but the left hand windscreen post struck the right hand rear of the truck. The car Was considerably damaged and the alignment of parts of the car were so altered- that the accelerator was jammed and the engine raced and he had difficulty in stopping the vehicle. The ignition key of the ear was also jammed and he ■had to stall the engine to stop it. He

described going back to the truck and finding the injured people. Police Evidence. Constable V. L. Bagge, of Paeroa, described how he and Constable Brown had been called to the scene of the accident and; found- the truck considerably damaged standing on the left handi side of Te Aroha road facing towards Te Aroha. Pieces of truck tailboard and side timbers were strewn along the left side of the roadway for 124 feet. A car 167 feet from the rear of the truck towards Te Aroha was standing on the right hand side of the road. The car was considerably damaged and later when he tested the conti oL he found that once the engine was started it raced furiously and could not be toned down by the accelerator nor could' the ignition switch be turned; off. Wright had said that he had been the driver of the car and that another vehicle with very bright lights coming towards him from Te" Aroha direction had prevented him seeing the truck until he was nearly up to it. . ■Constable J. L. Brown confirmed and gave evidence of identification of the evidence given by Constable Bag?e Miss Johnson. The coroner entered' a verdict as stated- above.