SYMONDS STREET FATALITY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16309, 16 August 1916, Page 9

SYMONDS STREET FATALITY

CONCLUSION OF INQUEST.

MOTORMAN EXONERATED

The adjourned inquest into the circumstances of the death of James Montagu France, a single man, 42 years of age, who died in the hospital on Thusrdav I last as the result of injuries received; through being knocked down by a tram- 1 car at the Grafton Bridge stopping place last Wednesday evening, was resumed at J the Magistrate's Court before Mr. E. C. C'utten, S.M., yesterday. Sergeant Bowman represented the police and Mr. P. Cahill the Auckland Tramways Company. Walter Woodham, a draper, said that on the evening of the accident he was! travelling from the city on an Onehunga' tramcar. Just as the tramcar was slowing | up at the Graft-on Bridge witness, who 1 was on the front platform, saw deceased knocked down by the car. He appeared to be running when he was struck. He fell backwards and struck his head on the road. The car was stopped, and witness saw that deceased was unconscious. The accident was due to no fault of the motor man

Archibald Hamilton, a bottle merchant, stated that he was standing on the footpath when he noticed deceased running across the road towards the bridge just as the tramcar approached. Witness also saw a motor car coming down Symonds Street at about 25 miles an hour, with " headlights brilliant enough to daze a man's eyes." The, deceased evaded the motor-car, and the next thing witness heard was that the man bad been knocked down.

John McGuire, a bootmaker, stated that deceased was in his shop near the bridge on the evening of the accident. He had been drinking, and witness tried to dissuade him from crossing in front of the tramcar, but he could not keep still, and rushed across the road.

Thomas Alger Johnson, the motorman who was in charge of the tramcar, stated that as ho was just stopping at the bridge, the deceased dodged in front of a motor-car coming from the opposite direction, and ran in front of the tramcar- Deceased was struck on tho left shoulder and. after stopping the tramcar, witness found deceased tying about 6ft back from the front of tho tramcar. The impact was so slight that it, would not have knocked a sober man off hi.- balance.

Mr. ('utten returned a verdict to the effect that the cause of death was due to compression of the brain, due to hemorrhage following fracture of the base of th» skull The accident was due to deceased beine struck by a tranicar with just sufficient fori c to > ause him to lose his balance, with the result that ho struck his head upon the road and fractured the skull. The coroner added that no blame was attachable to the motorman-