POLICE COURT.
(lluloro Messrs (J. ii. Bennett and \V. I'"'. Dnrward, J’.s.Pj OX Tll !•; WRONG SI OK. (’. W. Foster was charged witii 1 - iy driving a motor rur on the Palmerston North-Awalmri road, and also wilii lading to kt-cj> iti (he left side of the road when meeting a motoi eycie and side-car. .Senior-Sergeant l'i;i -o-i- conducted tii<> prosecnl ion, and Mr I!, R. Cooper a|i pea red for tin; dcleiidanl, who pleaded not guilty. V\. A. Movie, cheesemaker, of Union, ■l.ilcil that < >ii the evening of July 26 he was riding his motor-cycle with sidecar attached towtirds Awalmri, and saw defendant's motor car coming in the opposite d i rect ion. Witness kept to his correct side of tlie road, hut the motor car, instead of keeping to its left, came along on tin right side of the road and struck witness's side-car. afterwards running into a fence. As far as wit ness could see the car made no attempt to go over to the left ■when coming towards him. Cross-examined, witness slated that he first saw the car when il came round a bend in the road. To Senior-Sergeant Fraser: Wilne--.-after wards asked defendant why he had taken the wrong -ide of the triad, and the latter replied. “I fir -hi you were going to pass me on the wrong' .side, so J went over to tlitil side," Mrs Moyle, wife of the previous witness, gave corroborative evidence, stating that defendant’s car was travelling at a good speed on his wrong side of the road. Peter Campbell, farmer, of Awahuri, deposed that on the morning of July 27. Im saw the smashed up motor-cycle and sideear lying on the side of the road. 'J hex were on the right hand side of the road corniie. 'ourinh Palmerston. From what lie -aw, lie judged that the collision took ' place about four feet from the grass on the side of the road. J;. .1, Mattthews deposed that when he visited the erne of the accident the followin'' morning lie saw the splimer- from' the broken side-car near the side of the j road, and on the grass alongside the road. | Defendant, in the course of his evidence. ; stated that he had been driving motor i ear,- for 14 or 15 years and had had no trouble before. On the dale in question
Ih> was foil)inu inward- Palmerston in tin ('Veiling, and a in l ritiiir round tin' corner 111- saw ;i \<• 11 il■ 11 • cm Its wrong >i d <'. Ill' illy\i'll Ids lights, lad tin- other vehicle was apparently determined In ki-<-j• mi the wrong' side, and lie triad In wet on Ids wrong .side In iivnul (In- nlln-i' vehicle. Ihe motor-eyele crossed over and struck ins veiliclc, tin' collision taking place about the middle ~f tlie mad. After the accident tin- Mi .b- did not lilaim- lain for it, aid ln> said they were foolish in be travelling i,n the wrong side of the road, lie look iln* Movies home in Ids car. and out of sympathy nlt'ered to nay half (he amount of the damage. (Toss-examined by Senior-Sergeant I'rase r : lb- was i .ivelling at ;i fair paee. about 20 lo 25 miles an hour. Robert Pratt, ot l''eilding, deposed that when he was travelling towards i’almerslon In name oil the seem- of the accident. Ihe
r nvcrtiirucd motorcycle was live or six lent r from the middle of the road. The aeci- > dent was discussed, but the Moyle.-, did :■ not ace, is,• Rosier <>( earning it. Moylo - -,aid he was coining over to his own side r at (he lime of I lie accident. In reply to Senior-Sergeant' Fraser, wil i ness sialed that Moyle was apparently on i Ids correct side of tin- road. To tlie Bench : lie thought there wins > room for Roster to have passed the Movies • ~,, (he left side under ordinary circnm- ■ stances. The charge of negligently driving was dismissed. The Bench staling that there Wits no evidence of negligence. On the second charge of failing to keep lo the lefr side of the road wlien meeting another vehicle, the weight of evidence, said the liencli, was in support of the eh-ilge. believed that defent ant did bis " avoid a collision, hut consulted I" ( ." m mitled an error ol jiirl#rin*>i.t- A I oil|V of 10s and costs would he me posed, as defendant did weal he U; „be light. The cost-- a to
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19190908.2.72
Bibliographic details
Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1622, 8 September 1919, Page 6
Word Count
739POLICE COURT. Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1622, 8 September 1919, Page 6
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Manawatu Standard. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.