ONE BODY RECOVERED FROM WRECKED CAR

Northern Advocate, 24 March 1937, Page 7

ONE BODY RECOVERED FROM WRECKED CAR

Not Known If Others Were Killed In Terrific Crash

[Per Press Association. Copyright.'] PALMERSTON N., This Day. A shocking tragedy occurred at Rangiotu township, about 12 miles from the city, on the Palmerston North-Foxton highway, late last night when a five-seater motor car, travelling southward, left the highway at a bend, struck a fence near the road bridge,' somersaulted a considerable distance after a tremendous impact with an iron post, went completely over the railway where it leads on to the railway bridge nearby, rolled down a bank into the Oroua River, and landed wheels upward. Residents nearby hearing a loud crash, investigated and summoned the police and an ambulance, but it was obvious that the occupants must have been killed or drowned.

Left Road At High Speed.

The police were unable to ascerthe car, but this morning one body

was recovered when the car was dragged to the side of the river.

Measurements by the police show that the distance from where the car left the road to where it struck the fence was 52ft. The next visible point of contact was on the other side of the raised roadway, another 56ft. From there to the point in the river, where it finally came to rest was another 60ft.

The indications are that the vehicle must have left the highway at a high speed. A member of the hospital ambulance crew, at an early hour this morning, entered the water in a bathing costume but was able to throw little light on the tragedy. A Tremendous Leap. A' further examination of the scene of the fatality this morning showed that the car made a tremendous leap after leaving the road, and plunged through a fence alongside the railway line, flattening out an upright rail projection. It then leapt a small gap on to the end of the railway bridge, which runs parallel, but some yards away from the road bridge. The car next skidded 20 feet along the railway bridge, jumped off on to rough, hillocky grass eight feet below, and then nosedived 25 feet over the bank at the

edge of ihei river. Landing on its bumper, it rebounded and somer-

saulted nearly across the river, landing upside down.

The back of the car turret top struck the piling of the former railway bridge standing three feet out of the water. The vehicle then settled down, until it was almost submerged. A sack of potatoes in the luggage compartment was hurled across the river. After several hours’ work, a breakdown gang got the car out of the river. The driver was found lying across the rear seat. The police believe that there was; no other occupant of the car.