MOTOR FATALITY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10718, 12 October 1920, Page 5

MOTOR FATALITY

THE GOROKIAL INQUIRY HOW MR A. T. MAILE LOST HIS LIFE. EVIDENCE OF EYE-WITNESSES. The inquest touching- the death of Mr Alfred Talbot Maile, fruiterer, of Kelburn, at the hospital on September i!9th, following injuries received through being struck down in Courtenav place by a motor-car, driven by William Arthur Webb, was resumed in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday by tli 3 coroner, Mr J. S. Evans, S.M. Chief-Detective Ward appeared for the police, Mr A. W. Blair for Webb, driver of the oar, Sir Kenneth Douglas for the relatives of the deceased, and Mr H. E. Evans for the Motor L'nion Insurance Company. THE TAXI-DRIVER'S STORY. William Arthur Webb, the driver of the taxi-car which was responsible for the accident, stated that at the intersection of Tory street and Courtenay place he noticed a hand-cart about seven yards in front of the car he was driving, and about two feet from -tho kerbing. At the time tho car was be-, tween three and four feefc from tho kerbing. Tho man in charge of the hand-cart pushed it out on to the roadway, and witness swerved tie car to the right in order to avoid it and then swerved again to the right. After the accident ho showed the motor traffic '• inspector the position of the car and the hand-cart, the course taken by the car, and where it was pulled up after the accident. The inspector took street measurements. The car was travelling at a speed of from 12 to 15 miles per hour when passing Stewart's shop, and the speed was reduced to eight miles when Torv street was reached. On making the first swerve to the right the car -was travelling at the rate of seven miles an hour, and it had been reduced to five when the second swerve was made. The second swerve was made to the right after passing the hand-cart; it wasi then he noticed lialle and Barnard. The men were standing almost in' line with the car and were crossing the road from the Albion Hotel corner. The* swerve was taken to avoid inem, and he was sounding his horn-continuously. The ! men turned in the direction of the , ear. One mai grabbed the arm of the other, went backwards, and then came forward again. This was While he was making the second swerve. They stepped backward and forward, and the car was upon them. Maile turned round and put his hand on the radiator and the other man caught hold of the car. Ono of the men lost his gjrip, fell, and the car [passed over lim-- The car was travelling between five and six miles an hour at the time. When the men were hit he had almost stopped the car, and then the brakes were released in. order to get pff the tram line, and the car was run to the Gas Company's premises. He proceeded about three yards from the accident in order to cross the tram line. He was certain that the hand-cart came from Tory street. • It was being pushed by a man who was walking fast. The hand-cart wa? midway V between the kerbing,.and,±hejfirst.rail of the tram line when he made the first swerve. COMING PROM A WEDDING.

To Chief-Detective "Ward: He was driving a wedding party .from Newtown to "Willis street. There wexe five passengers in the car. At Courtenay place 'a tramcar passed him, and about the same time .he saw a handcart come out of Tory street. He kept a sharp look-out for traffic at the intersection of the streets when approaching Tory street. "When he first saw the hand-cart he did not see the ' men. As soon as' he recognised there was some danger he applied the brakes. . ' To Mr Blair: Witness said he had been driving motor-cars for seven years and was formerly driver of the motor fire engine at Dunedin before coming to He had never previously had an accident. He picked up his passengers at the Carlton Hotel and drove them to St. Anne's Church, Newtown. It was on the return journey that the accident took place. He had been engaged by the hour. He was aware of the city motor regulations and knew that he had to slow down, at the intersection of a street. After the accident he observed that the man in charge of the handcart was deaf which accounted for his not taking notice of the horn. On approaching tho men he applied tho brakes. The pace pf the car was about five miles per hour. One man caught hold of the radiator; he would have been unable to do that if tho car had been travelling at ten miles an hour. THE PACE OF THE CAR. Robert Anderson, news vendor, who was partially deaf and blind, said ho remembered a mctor-car nearly running into a hand-cart which he was pushing-. one" day in Courtenay place. He was walking fairly fast, but on account of his disabilities he did not see or hear the car until it was olose to him. The car appeared to be travelling at an ordinary pace when it passed him. CLUNG TO THE RADIATOR. Cyril Charles Floyd, commercial traveller, stated that he was driving a motor-car along Courtenay plnce, when his attention was drawn to tho motorcar driven by "Webb, as it swerved towards him. He saw the two men step almos-t in front of Webb's car, and they were struck. Webb stopped the ear in what he considered a reasonable distance. The car did not appear to bo travelling at an excessive epeed. Webb stopped his car at the Gas Company's premises. Barnard was then clinging to the radiator. In his opinion a person could not catch hold of the radiator of a car travelling at ton miles an hour. DEDUCTIONS FROM MEASUREMENTS. Frederick William MeCourtie, traffio inspector to the City Corporation (recalled), submitted a number of measurements which he had taken at tho instance of the coroner. Witness said that hnd tho car gone straight on instead of making the first awerve, it would have crossed the lino taken by the two men, 18ft further on. At. the point of intersection tho car would bo 17ft to tho left of when tho accident happened. WALKED TO MEET THE CAR. j Arthur Burton Griggs, taxi-car protprietor, said ho witnessed tho accident from tho Courtenay place end of tho gasworks door. Witness was in a car which was standing outside the Gaa Company's premises, and faced tho accident when it happened. Ho estimated the car was travelling from 12 to. 15 miles per hour. Mr Blair drew the court's attention

to a by-Jaw which provided that motorcars engaged by the hour had to travel 15 miles an hour, and there was another which made it an offence for pedestrians to be on a road. Continuing, the witness said he heard two blasts given from the car. He turned away for a moment, heard a acream, and on looking round again saw that tho car was passing over ono man and that another was hanging on to the radiator. At that time the car had a speed of about five miles per hour. The car came towards where witness was, and he jumped from his own car and relorr.ed the man who was hanging on to tho cap of the radiator. The man had a knee up, and appeared to have an arm round a lamp. On lifting the man off, he said "You wore going too fart." Witness walked to meet the car, which was going at so slow a pace that he was able to walk in front of it. The thought the car camo across towards him in order to allow a* tramcar to ..pass. The motor-car was ono of a procession of wedding-cars, and there was ono in front of the vehicle concerned in the accident, and others were following.it. To tho coroner: He first saw the man when tho front wheel of the ear had passed over his body. At that timo it appeared to witness that tho car had almost stopped, and that it picked up speed afterwards. At this stage tho inquest was adjourned.