CROSSING SMASH

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 7 August 1945, Page 4

CROSSING SMASH

FURTHER DETAILS ALL VICTIMS NOW IDENTIFIED The crossing smash at Westshore near Napier yesterday was the worst accident in the history of the railcar service in New Zealand. The five men who were killed have now all beep identified. They were: Alexander 11. (Buster) Bryan, Sale Street, Napier, married, with five children. Raymond William (Tony) Horne, Bay View, married, with one child, and recently returned from overseas no r vice. Frederick Alexander Lambert, aged about 40, WesUhore, single. Thomas Leonard Rowe, single, residing at the People's Private Hotel, Napier. Frank Wanna, a Maori, Ilayview, married. The track whs being driven by Mr. Bryan. Four of the victims were employees of the Public Works Department and were returning from Bayview when the accident occurred. The railcar, the Takitimu, with a full complenjunt of, passenger*, had left Napier fur liUjborije at h.2() a.m The truck, owned by Mr. J. 11. McDonald, carrier. Tara dale, was travelling from Bay view to Napier, carrying four men beside* the driver and a quantity of contractor'* equipment. The Bay view crossing is a notoriously bad one, with poor visibility, the line intersecting the main highway ai an obtus# angle.

When tlie collision occurred, the truck was curried acrose the road, over the cattle stops and for some M) yards down the line before the railcar stopped. Piece* of the truck were torn off en rout**; and the wheels, bonnet, various pieces of equipment and the bodies of three of the men littered the track. When the railcar finally stopped, the engine of the truck and pieces of the chassis were locked under the fore part and these had to be cleared with an usyace tope cutting plant. The bodies of tho two men who were in the cab were pinned in this wreckage, and dismembered niece* were recovered about two hours after the ■ accident. Fire broke opt in the wreckage immediately after the railcar stopped, and a fire engine was called out from Napier to extinguish the flames. Fears were field that had there been « survivor he would have been burned in the tire, but it wxi established that a man who was pinned in the cab was killed instantaneously. Another wi»n who was thrown out from the wreckage was alive and conscious when helpers reached him. but he had received severe head injuries and died withThc wreckage of the truck being thrust along the permanent way switched the points on the loop line a short distant* over the crossing and caused the raileM* to veer abruptly and turn on t« the branch ffiie. Lurching, bumping and wobbling .perilously, it carried on for about a chain and a half before the front bogie became derailed and sank into the grave), Tho«e who witnessed the accident expressed astonishment that when the railear left the main line it did not overturn As it was, it lurched alarmingly and threw the passengers about. Windows Shattered. Aa the truck disintegrated, heavy piec«w of equipment were thrown back, .'‘battering the windows and damaging the sides of the railcar. The electric signalling equipment in the vicinity of the crossing was severely damaged and the entire signals system of the sector was put out of action. When the accident occurred Dr. T. Higgins, Napier, was waiting to pick up his wife near the railway crossing, and he watt on the scene in a matter of seconds. Further medical aid was summoned from Napier, but all the victims were dead within a few minutes. A breakdown gang was available and the extensive work of clearing the permanent way was started. A second railcar which left for Gisborne 40 minutes after the Takitimu was held up on the Napier wide of the accident while th« clearing work went on. Government railway buses were used to trau*i>ort the passengers of the Takitimu on to Gisborne. To allow a works traiu to pass the main track was shifted several feet irmLthte line was clear for through traffic ap hour and a half after the accident. “I heard the railcar hooter and saw the emssirig signals working, but the truck still-came on,” he said. "At the lastt moment the railcar driver appeared to apply the brakes, Injt it was too late to check its si>eed appreciably. At the moment of the collision the truck seemed to leap into the air before it was forced down by the terrific weight of the railcar, which bore it across the road and down the line. I saw a man thrown from the back of the truck and he landed just off the road on the Bay view side of the crossing. The sides of the truck hit the crossing guards with a splintering crash and then hit a small wignals box. The railcar swung from the main line . and for a moment it seemed thpt it would topple down the small embankment, but it remained upright with the front wheels off the rails I rushed to where the twisted wreckage of the truck lay in front of the railcar, but it was too late to do anything for the victims.” Passengers’ Experiences. Their alarn-ing experiences when the railcar and truck collided were spoken of by several posseugors. "I saw the truck approaching ami realized that a collision could not he avoided.” said oue pa«*>euger. “There was a terrific impact. The railcar jolted, lurched and continued on its way. We were all flung forward by the terrific jolt and luggage was flung from the racks. A couple of women screamed and children cried, but most people kept their heads admirably. It seemed that the railcar was never going to stop, though the driver no doubt waa doing all in his power to pull up.

An inqueK will be opened at Napier Hospital before the district coroner, Mr. J. Miller, tomorrow.