COLLISION WITH CAR

Northern Advocate, 13 June 1935, Page 2

COLLISION WITH CAR

TRUCK DRIVER’S DEATH. CORONIAL VERDICT. r lSvecAal to n Northern Advocate.”! [z HAMILTON. This Day. ■■"• An inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of Hugh Hendon Gillies, aged 19. who was fatally injured when a motor truck he was driving collided with a car driven by John Patrick Shivnan, of Auckland, was opened before the coroner, Mr S. L;. Paterson, S.M., yesterday. The accident occurred at the intersection of Naylor Strfeet and Galloway Street East at 2.30 p.m. on Saturday, April ,13. ,■ Nearby residents gave evidence of what they considered to toe the 1 excessive speed of the car. It was proceeding north down Galloway Street. They stated that the truck completely dVorturned, Gillies being pinned underneath the roof pf’the cab. The occupants of the car were also thrown out.

The driver of the car said he was returning from the Hamilton East cemetery along Galloway Street. He approached the- Naylor Street intersection fit 25 m.p.h. He’reduced speed to 20 m.p.h. or less on the intersection and saW the truck on his left 15 feet away. : * :■ ' • '

’. He had no, idea at what speed the truck was'travelling. He swerved to the right, but he could not avoid a collision. Witness said he lived in Te Kuiti and was not familiar with Hamilton. He did 'not know Naylor Street was a main road. He said ho could not recall whether he sounded jus horn or not. To the coroner, he Said'it did not occur to him that traffic plight be; approaching behind the bus shelter. He did not look to his left When approaching the intersection, t';Edward Frederick O’Neill, a- passenger in the car, expressed the opinion that Shivnan was driving his car at a moderate speed prior to the accident. Witness did not see the. lorry.

; Two other passengers, John Patrick Murphy and Patrick Dennis Shivnan, estimated the speed of the car at 20 hi.p.h. Both were injured.

JV Dangerous Intersection. V The coroner said the intersection was a dangerous one, Naylor Street being a main thoroughfare carrying e. heavy volume of traffic. The visibility at the approaches was not good, and had been made worse by the Erection at the corner of a bus waiting sjhed. Independent witnesses had remarked on the high speed of Shivnan’s car and the evidence also indicated that he. had failed to keep a pyoper look-out. ;'-Gillies was apparently approaching t&e corner at a reasonable rate, conThere were also grounds "for the police taking action against Shivnan on a charge of negligent driying. Mr Pafterson returned a verdict that deceased was killed as the result of a collision between a lorry he was driying and a car driven by John Patrick Shivnan.