MOTOR COLLISION.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLII, Issue 1741, 17 February 1921, Page 3

MOTOR COLLISION.

CORONER RETURNS OPEN VERDICT. The District Coroner (Mr J. L. Stout, S.M.) presided at an inquest held yesterday concerning the death of Mr Maurice Hickey, who was fatally injured in a collision with a car driven by James Muir, a local taxidriver, on February sth last. The accident occurred at the intersection of Main and Albert Streets. The deceased was riding a bicycle at the time. Senior-Sergeant Fitzpatrick conducted the enquiry, while the relatives were represented by Mr F. JOaklev and the car driver by Mr J. Grant.

Evidence of a formal nature was given by Michael Hickey. son of deceased, who explained that his father, who was G 7 years' old, had enjoyed crood health for the past 40 years. He had been in the habit of cycling, and was a slow, careful, and safe rider. Deceased always adhered to his correct side of the road. To Mr Oakley: Witness had seen deceased just before the latter left home for the pound and he was perfectly sober.

To Mr Grant: Deceased had had perfect eyesight and hearing. Dr. Putnam said that deceased had suffered from severe abrasions of the head, broken ribs, and general shock. At the hospital he improved for about 24 hours and then developed pneumonia and died. The cause of death was fracture of the ribs and general shock to the system, with pneumonia, which was occasioned by an injury to the lungs, as a secondary cause.

To Mr Grant: There was no possibility of pneumonia being present in deceased before the accident. Constable Madden deposed that it was 29 paces from the corner where Muir had swerved to the right to where the car pulled Tip. Blood was found 10 feet distant from the front wheel on the driver's side of tho car and practically opposite Messrs Pearson and Strawbridge's. A person driving a car up Main Street at 17 yards from the intersection would have a view of the whole intersection and 10 yards up Albert Street. Muir had told him that the car was travelling at about 1G miles an hour at the time of the crash.

To Mr Grant: There were, no signs of motor car skids and no indications of a brake having been applied. To Mr Oakley: A taxi-driver keeping a proper iook-out, should have observed deceased. Had the car been going slowly it would have been possible to swerve off. John Patrick Fitzgibbons, Duke Street, Palmerston North, said that he was cycling up Main Street on the right-hand side by the railway. He saw the car approaching the intersection at about 15 to 20 miles an hour and it seemed to be travelling nearer to the railway than to the footpath. At the intersection it swerved further to the right and ran on for about two chains before it was finally pulled up. Witness then observed deceased lying in the middle of the road. He did not hear Muir sound any warning-. There was no other traffic about. Both cyclist and car driver seemed perfectly sober. William Charles Davis, slaughterman employed at the Kakariki ,F«reez•ing Works, said he was a passenger in Muir's car. Sergeant Fitzpatrick: What was your object in going to Terrace End?

Witness: I went up there to see if I could find some of my friends. Sergeant Fitzpatrick: Is it not a fact that you were trying to catch a slow train at Terrace End for Marton? ' Witness: I never said anything about wanting to catch a train to the driver. ' It is not a fact, taut if the train had been there I would have caught it. Sergeant Fitzpatrick: We dont want any shuffling about this matter. We are trying to arrive at the true, facts concerning the, death of Mr Hickey, and we want your assistance. The witness reiterated his reason for the\trip and that he would have boarded the train had there been one there. Continuing he said that on reaching the intersection he saw a man on a bicvele and shouted out to him, "Look out:' He never saw the man until he was just on the car. Muir turned the car towards the railway line to avoid deceased taut the accident was inevitable. Deceased. made no attempt to avoid an accident, and witness thought he was deaf. The speedometer on the car showed lb miles an hour at the time. Coroner: What were your instructions to the driver when you hired the car? Witness: Drive to Terrace End. Coroner: Which part of Terrace End. How would the driver know exactly where you wanted to go? Witness: I just told him to drive clown there as I wanted to meet some friends. I thought I might be able to find them at the hotel. . Coroner: You engaged that taxi just about the time the train was leaving Palmerston North? Witness: About that time. Coroner: It looks to me as if you engaged the car to catch the Wanganui train. James Muir, the driver of the car, said that Davis had engaged him to drive to Terrace End. Witness assumed that he wanted to go to the hotel. No mention was made by Davis about wanting to catch a train. He did not remember, any train passing him on the way to Terrace End. On arrival at the intersection of Mam Street and Albert Street he saw deceased coming off Albert Street into "lain Street. Witness blew sharply twice on the horn ancV at the same time could see Hickey had his head down. Witness swerved his car to the right and thought Hickey would naturally pull up but' he continued and the cycle ran into (he car about the middle. He thought Hickey just fell off on his face. From where Hickey lay on the road and the marks on his left hand wheel was ten feet. Witness had no idea of the distance from where he first saw Hickey to the car. Witness swerved to the right to avoid Hickey. If he had continued on he would have run into him. When we first saw Hickey he applied the foot brake. The highest speed witness reached going up Mam Street was just over 15 miles an hour and the speed at which he entered the intersection was slightly slower-r about li! miles an hour. If witness applied the hand brako and the toot brake when the car was driving at 12 miles per hour the car would pull up in a length and a half. He did not use all his brakes because he. required both hands to twist the wheel round in a sharp turn. He could not say in what length he could have

pulled the car up travelling at ten miles per hour. It was not a fact that he was engaged to catch the train at Terrace End. Ho did not turn down Scandia Street because the car may have upset if turned so sharply. He could not account for the blood marks on the centre of the road opposite Perrson and Strawbridge's. Witness saw the deceased to the hospital accompanied by Dr Putnam. There was no other traffic on the intersection at the time of witness's arrival there. Witness had kept a proper lookout when he reached the intersection. \

To Mr Grant: Witness sounded the horn before, he got to the corner. He was then about half a chain or threeparts of a chain from the corner. He could not then see through the hedge into Albert Street. Witness was on the left side of the ro«4. Had witness gone straight on fie would have struck .Mr Hickey. If witness had turned the other way he could not say whether he could have got in behind Hickey. Had Mr Hickey stopped witness would have missed him. He had been tn.:*i-driving in Palraerston North about IS monthJ before the war and 12 months since. He had never had an accident before.

The speedometer showed the maximum speed at which ho had travelled and not the speed' at which he was going at the time he stopped. Witness's car was going so slowly when he stopped that he had to put it into low gear to get back to the place where the accident occurred.

To Mr Oakley: Deceased was not travelling fast nt the time of the accident. Travelling at 1G miles per hour witness could pull up in about 17 feet. Witness,could not explain how it was that he did not pull up within five feet of Mr Hickey if he first saw him 22 feet from the place where the accident occurred. He could not say if the accident would have happened if he had turned behind deceased. He supposed it would have been best to do so. Ho never turned a corner at 20 miles per hour and would not like to turn corners at 1G miles per hour.

The Coroner returned a verdict that deceased died from the injuries received in the accident and from pneumonia following on his injuries. In giving the verdict the Coroner said it seemed to him that there must have been some carelessness somewhere, that the accident could not have been avoided. It seemed to him that the driver could have turned behind the man or turned in sharply and missed him. Drivers must recognise that cyclists had some right on the road. When the driver noticed that the cyclist did not see him, he should have taken steps to avoid him. He would leave the verdict open at present but_ it seemed to him that there had been some carlessness.