Jumped Back in Path of Motor Lorry

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 74, 28 March 1936, Page 10

Jumped Back in Path of Motor Lorry

INQUEST ON RECENT FATALITY. ELDERLY MAN KILLED ON MAIN HIGHWAY “I confess that I find it just a littlo difficult to .understand why an accident of this nature should occur in broad daylight and on a road like this where the visibility is good,” stated tho Coroner (Mr A. J. Graham) yesterday, when an inquest was held into the circumstances surrounding the death of an elderly man,. Erneest John Matthews, w'ho was fatally injured on March 6 on the Longburn-Karero highway aftor being struck, by a motor lorry, driven by Paul Wattling Rabone, of Palmerston North. ‘‘Prom the evidence submitted it appears that deceased, an old man, had been wandering across the road in a casual, go-as-you-please kind of way, oblivious of his surroundings and suddenly realising his danger, he became confused and did the wrong thing. There is no evidence of neglect or recklessness in this case on tho part of tho driver of the lorry. In tho circumstances I find that ho all he could that could be reasonably expected. But,” added the Coroner, ‘‘l do not think tho driver is sufficiently experienced to be in chargo of such a heavy vehicle. That, however, is another matter.” Safety on Highways “Such a fatality as this serves to emphasise that too much stress cannot be laid on tho exercise of care by a pedestrian travelling on tho highway, ” added Mr Graham. “Apparently pedestrians do not always exercise the care so essentially necessary to stop them from becoming a public danger, I find that deceased met his doath through being accidentally killed when struck by a motor lorry on the Long-burn-Karere highway. ’ ’ Tribute to Police. The coroner added that the police were to be commended for the very thorough manner m which they had conducted the investigation. Detective-Sergeant J. Biekerdike conducted the case for tho police and Mr M. H. Oram represented the driver of the lorry. Driver Gives Evidence. Paul Wattling Rabone, single aged IS 1 years, of Palmerston North, stated that ■ he had for a period been in the employ - of the Dominion Auctioneering Company as a motor driver. Ho had first ! been driving a Reo truck and then a 1 Bedford, which had been purchased new by the firm. About 2 p.m. on March 6 1 he had left the city for Otaki to collect . vegetables. He had proceeded via Longburn and Karere and was aceom- 1 panied by his cousin, also employed by 1 the firm, and who was to assist in loading the truck. About two months prior to the accident he had had trouble with tho brakes, witness explained. ■ After passing the road leading to the Longburn freezing works he drove on the bitumen about 30 miles per hour. Upon nearing a gate at the side of tho road ho had not seen anyone but later had noticed a man about 100 yards ahead. Deceased had been stepping from tho right-hand side of the road, from the grass to the bitumen. Tho lorry had been on the left-hand side of the road and witness had sounded the horn. Deceased, however, had continued to cross the highway at an angle of 45 degrees. Witness said that he commenced to slow up, intending to pass behind the pedestrian. Deceased had walked on and witness, travelling at a slower speed, had swung.the truck to the right. : Subsequently applying the brakes hard : when the pedestrian appeared not to seo anything. Deceased had been about 1 the crown of tho bitumen with the lorry about 30 yards away and getting ' on to the right-hand side of tho road. When the lorry had been about eight 1 feet away the pedestrian had made a straight backward jump and had been hit by the lorry, declared witness, who ' added that when he had jumped back 1 deceased had been on an angle. Ho had ' looked sideways at the lorry when it 1 had only been six feet from him. If ! the pedestrian had stopped still witness ! would have passed him with at least 1 two feet to spare, he testified. It had been tho natural thing to do to endeavour to pass the lorry behind the pedestrian. Deceased had not been wearing shoes, he had been carrying these in his hands at the time and had been walking slowly across tho highway. There had been some cyclists about 100 yards ahead. Deceased had fallen under the lorry; he had been broathing when pulled out but he had not spoken and had died a few minutes after tho accident. To Mr Oram witness stated that deceased had glanced back and jumped back almost simultaneously, making it impossible to avoid an accident. Other Witnesses Called. Medical evidence was given by Dr, C. W. Peach, who said that about 2.25 p.m. he had been informed of the accident. Upon arrival he had found that a pedestrian had been killed on the highway. Witness identified deceased by a photograph (produced) and detailed* the injuries, which were consistent with a severe blow. He thought tho bumper of the lorry must have struck the back of deceased’s leg, causing him to fall back on the radiator of tho lorry. The radiator of the vehicle had been pushed back and a guard dented. In reply to Mr Oram the doctor explained that deceased would have been slightly turning away from the truck when struck. Looking for “a Peed.” Robert George Mabey, a caterer at the Longburn freezing works, told how a man had called on the day of the accident and had asked for food. It had beep deceased, who said that he had come from Sandon and that he had a sore toe, caused through it being caught in some barbed wore. George Alexander Lockwood, of Longburn, related how ho had seen an elderly man on the road. Subsequently, witness had noticed a lorry proceeding south and had heard the sounds of a collision. Tho truck had been travelling about 25 miles per hour. Valentino Cleon Holland, of Palmerston North, who was accompanying Rabone in the truck at the time of the accident, gave corroborative evidence insofar as the driver’s actions were I concerned,

Lorry’s Speed Reasonable. Mrs Annie Violet Fletcher, of Karere, testified, that she had been walking on tho road with two others on the day of the fatality, she had seen the • lorry travelling on its correct eido of the road and had also witnessed deceased stepping practically straight in front of the vehiclo. Tho driver had swerved to avoid a collision but • the man had jumped back in front of it to be struck.'

Witness told counsel that the driver had had no chance of avoiding the accident. In her opinion the jumping back had appeared deliberate. The next witness was,Harold Bryce Claphnm, Palmerston North engineer, who detailed tests carried out to the brakes of tho motor lorry concerned. The. brakes had been in good order. At a speed of 30 miles per hour with the engine running the stopping distance had been 43 feet. At 35 miles per hour with the engine off the stopping distance had been 92 feet. Warped the Pedestrian. ,

ThomaS Bernard Freyne, motor salesman of Palmerston North, said that on the morning of the accident he bad noticed a man on the Longburn-Karero road. Ho had appeared to bo a swagger and had been walking in the middle of the' highway. Witness had had to pass tho man on tho right-hand sido and felt that tho man was not taking reasonable: care for his safety on the road. He identified deceasod as this man by a photograph (produced) and added that threo times he had sounded the horn. Deceased appeared to take no notice and witness had told him to get off tho road.

Constable Goodwin described how he had gone to the scone of the accident and proceeded to givo all the details Deceased had subsequently been identified through finger-prints in the police records. Constablo Millor handed in a signed statement made by the truck driver.