RUNAWAY MOTOR-VAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19508, 11 December 1926, Page 10

RUNAWAY MOTOR-VAN.

A FAST DASH DOWNHILL. OCCUPANTS JUMP TO SAFETY. PLATE-GLASS WINDOW BROKEN. A runaway motor-van caused excitement in Wellesley Street East about two o'clock yesterday afternoon, and was responsible for a certain amount of damage to property. The motor-van, which is owned by Turnbull and Jones, Ltd., was being driven up the Wellesley Street hill. It was near the Princes Street corner when suddenly it started to go backwards, and careering downhill, crashed into a plateglass window, valued at £2O, in the petrol-service station at the corner of Rutland Street, recently erected for Mr. G. W. Spragg. Witnesses of the occurrence, said they expected the van would collide with one of the tramway centre poles, but to their surprise i,t managed to dodge them.

The driver, Mr. Fred Dickens, said the van becomo out of order as the result of the breaking of a pin in the universal joint. The brakes would not work aud immediately the car commenced to run backwards down the hill. Realising that the wisest course was to seek safety he jumped from the van. There were two other occupants, one of whom jumped clear, while the other fell and received minor bruises.

The van, gathering momentum, ran diagonally across the road and by the time it reached the petrol-service station was travelling at about 30 miles an hour. Fortunately there was no motor traffic on the road at the time, and those people who were in the vicinity all managed to keep clear. A tramear which was ascending the hill was stopped while the van dashed across the rails soma distance ahead. The van was considerably damaged, one wheel being broken, while the body was thrust out of alignment.