DEATH OF PASTOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19501, 3 December 1926, Page 14

DEATH OF PASTOR.

STRUCK BY A MOTOR-CAR..;

DRIVER SMOT TO BLAMEj

DIMMING OF HEADLIGHTS.

COMMENT BY THE CORONER.

"I think that the dimming of the car's headlights was a great factor in causing the accident," said the coroner, Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in '•■ returning .a verdict'of accidental death at an inquest held yesterday concerning the death of Mr. George Aldridge, pastor of the West Street Church Of' Christ. Deceased was knocked down by a motor-car in Dominion Road on October 1.2 and died' later in the Auckland Hospital. Mr. Northcroft appeared for the driver of the car® Ernest Butter, and Mr. E. Aldridge was 'present on behalf of the relatives of'deceased. Sergeant Mclntyro represented the. police. "A> passenger in the car, Margaret Coupland, said the vehicle was travelling at about 12 or 15 miles an hour on the correct side of the road. Immediately after the car had passed Carrick Place a man made his appearance on the roadway in front of the car and appeared to be crossing at an angle away from the car. He was only 4ft. from the vehicle when witness first saw hipx Rutter swerved to. the - right, but the man was struck by the left-hand lamp. It; was very dark at the spot and the road was wet, as it had been raining. The car stopped in about two lengths and deceased was to be seen lying 3ft. or 4it. from the kerb. Other cars were coming in the opposite direction, but ther,e was ample room to manipulate the car. Witness did not remember whether the horn was feounded on the car approaching Carrick Place, but the drivier was sounding his hbrn, and dimming his lights frequently. Witness had often travelled with the driver and had always found him careful. •

Mr. Northcroft explained that the driver could not appear, as he had been seriously ill since the accident. In a statement to the police the' driver said h-3 dimmed his lights on account of the approach of "two other cars. He swerved to avoid deceased, but could not effect a total clearance. .

George Stewart, tramway motorman, said he was driving a tramcar toward the city when he stopped near Carrick Place 03 being signalled 5 by a man standing about 11 feet out from the kerb. , A motor-car coming from the direction of the ' city at about 20 to 25 miles an hour struck him, carrying him about six feet along and stopping 16 feet further ■O.i. In witness' opinion the . man was struck by the right-hand side of the car. The car had room to pass between the deceased and the kerb.

The gesture which caused the. motor* rcan to stop the car was described by Mr, Aldridge as a characteristic friendly salutation of the. deceased. Evidently he had waved to the motorman although he had uo intention of board ing the. tramcar. In returning a verdict that death was due to deceased being accidentally knocked down by a motor-car, the magistrate said ho found nothing to show that there was any negligence on the part of the driver. " The time has come," said Mr. Hunt, when the authorities will have, to do something in the matter of dimming headlights. I am quite sure that if deceased could have seen a ray of light from the car the accident would 1 not have occurred. The man would be alive to-day if the lights had not been dimmed."