FITZROY STREET MOTOR FATALITY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 10526, 2 December 1916, Page 5

FITZROY STREET MOTOR FATALITY.

I —.— THE CORONIAL ENQUIRY. An inquiry into tho circumstances touchin;; the death of Mr William Forbes, who was killed through :i motor running over mi embankment in Fit/.roy street into the .\lanawatu river, was held this morning be-1 fore the district coroner, Mr J. W. Po.ynton. The principal witnesses were Misses Kathleen and Mary Sullivan, who were alr-o occupants of the car or. the night of the fatality and who fortunately escaped after receiving very severe injuries, necessitating medical attention at the hospital for some three weeks, Miss Kathleen Sullivan, sustaining a broken arm in addition to ' other injuries. I Sub-Inspector Marsack conducted tho! proceedings on behalf of the police. Mr F. j 11. Cooke applied and was granted permission to watch the proceeding, on behalf of th> Borough Council 1 he circumstances relating to the fatality were briefly outlined by Sub-Inspector Marsack. '

THE EVIDENCE. Miss Kathleen Sullivan, who still had her arm in splints, said she was a waitress employed at the Grand Hotel, and knew the late Mr Forbes for some time. Up til! Noveniber3 he was a guest at the Grand Hotel. At alien! 6.15 on the night, of the accident witness said she was in the dining room of the hotel with her sister, when Mr Forbes came in and suggested that they should go for a ride in his ear. There was no particular route suggested. The party left the hotel at about 8.40 p.m. Mr Forbes asked witness to take the driver's seat and drive, Mr Forbes taking the centre scut and witness's sister on the left side The car was a tv.o-M.ater. Witness had had previous experience as a driver. They proceeded along Church street towards Terrace End. When the party readied East street. Mr Forbes said: "Turn round to the le. r i," but she found the car had gone too far, and' said: "It is too late," and suggested that Mr Forbes take the wheel, and turn the- next corner. Jle did so. but did not change --eats and had to lean over witness to steer. The car was turned down Fitzroy street, and after proceeding some distance witness remarked on the narrowness of the road and said she was glad she was not driving. Mr Forbes said he did not know where the road took them to. The night was moonlight and the car was lit. and at this time the car was travelling sjower than in church street. After going_ a considerable distance they passed what witness considered was a very narrow bridge, but which proved to be a fence with the gate j open. The next thing witness saw was the river straight ahead, and she called out "There's the river." and ,ior sister said "J'll jump out." Mr Forbes said not- i:< jump out as he was trying to pull the car up. lie turned tho benzine off and tried to pin the brake on, leaning over witness to do so. The car almost came to

a dead stop before reaching.the hank. Miss Sullivan said slit' had no clear recollection of what happened after that, being rendered unconscious, and on recovering found herself thrown to the right side of the cai down at the water's edge. She immediately went to the opposite side of the ear where her sister was lying unconscious with her head under water. Shu pulled her sister's head up and placed her on a log. Mr Forbe's feet were viable sticking <>ut. from underneath the ear. Witness then tried io scale the bank in three "or four places to go for help, and at lust succeeded, and after knocking at two Chinamen's houses without response, she weiu H> Mr Godfrey's further along the road, lie came back to the river, but did not go down the bank, uud witness asked him to go for help. Witness weiu down the bank and found her sister had recovered a little, and was able to speak a few words. Shortly after that the )K)liee. doctor ami several people came down, and witness and her sister were taken to the hospital. Witness sustained a broken arm and other injuries. Mr Forbes was perfectly sober on the night of the accident. To Mr Cooke: Witness did not know if she had driven an Overland car before. She had only driven a car half-a-dozen times, and t!id not profess to be a driver of any means, and knew nothing about the gears. They had just got through the fence when .-he noticed the liver, Sho could not say if her sister could have- ; jumped out when she suggested doing so. < Witness did not know if Mr Forbes could have slopped the car had he been in the driver's seat,, but he might have put tne brake on quicker. The oar had almost stopped v. hen they reached the bank. i Miss .Mary Sullivan corroborated her sister's evidence. After passing through the gate and they sighted the river witness .-aid: "Oil, I'll jump out," and Mr Forbes answered that it was all right. She knew very lit;'" alter that, but recollected being assisted up the bunk. Witness knew . Mr Forbes for some time, but never knew him to I '•• drink. I To Mr Cooke: Witness could not say if, Mr Forbes lould have put the brakes on' quicker had he been sitting in the driver's seat. I

Arthur Godfrey, carter, residing in Fitzvo.v street, said on the evening of November 3 lie. heard a ear pass down Fitzroy street towards the river, at about 8.45. This was rather an unusual occurrence. About nine o'clock .Miss Kathleen Sullivan came to the house and said _ there had been a motor accident at the river, lie accompanied Miss Sullivan to the river bank - and saw a car turned upside down on the edge of the river. He saw Miss Mary Sullivan sitting near the car, and Miss Kathleen Sullivan went down to her. lie then went to Terrace End for assistance. Ho brought back several people with ropes and assisted the young woman up the bank, lie knew the gate across the roa4 was open that night. Samuel Henry Snell, of Terrace End, said between 9.30 and 945 on the night of November 3 ho was in Main street. Fa*t. when Mr Godfrey came up and said there had been a motor accident at the river. Witness informed the police, and then cycled down to the river. He found the car partly in the river, and saw the Misses Sullivan sitting near the car. The bank was over 20 feet high. Uo went down and helped the two ladies up the bank. He noticed a man's foot and arm under the car. and tried to get him out, without -success. Others came down later, and they turned the car over, but found Mr Forbes dead his head being crushed. The, metalled road ran right to the edge of the river bank. _ The river could not be seen from the point whore- the gate was situated. The gate was generally kept closed. To Mr Cooke: He did not think that the edge of the bank could bo seen from the gab? by anyone in a motor car on the night of the accident. The appearance from the gate would be like that of an open paddock. The night was moonlight, but cLudy. Ernest 11. Ghrbom, motor mechanic, gave evidence that lie removed the car from the river. He would say that the car wa.i travelling at a, very .low speed when it went over the bank. The car was out- of gear, with the emergency brake on, operated by a long lever.

To Mr Cooke: Both acetylene lamps wen. 1 -mashed in the accident. He could no) say if lx>th were well supplied with carbide, or if the two brakes were ill good order. It, would be difficult for ti person sitting in the centre seat to pul on the foot brake if another were in the driving seat, li would not be so hard to put on the bide brake. If the driver were occupying his proper scat he could put on the brakes much more quickly and effectively. Constable Andrews gave evidence- corroborative of tlie last witness. In witness's ipinion, Mr Forbes was caught between tlw hack of the seat and the river bed. lie had been acquainted it hj him for some time, and knew him to be a teetotaller. Witness paced the distance from the fence to the river bank, and found it about thirty yard-. The first ten feet of the bank was perpendicular, the other ten <>r twelve feet sloped dightly. The gate consisted of two hurdle.-. These had been pulled right back into tic •{rn.-s. and he would say that the gate had been open about three days, !Ie drove up in ;i motor ear lo within five paces of the 'ence, and from'that position could not have ;een whether then 1 was a river in front or THE VERDICT. The coroner's verdict was as follow.-; The deceased. William Forbes, was, on the third day of November. 1910. accidentally killed through the motor car which ho was driving falling into th • Manawatu river-bed, :'! the place whei" Fitzrov street has ben. washed away by erosion of the Manawatu River, The following riders were added : In order to prevent a recurrence of similar accidents, the Coroner recommends that such streets should be closed for traffic at a reasonable dietauoo from'it-i