ALLANTON ROAD FATALITY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16070, 11 May 1914, Page 6

ALLANTON ROAD FATALITY

VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH.

No one who had been an eye-witness of the accident on the Allanton road on April '26. in which Alexander Henry Thompson Smith lost hie life, could .be obtained bo givo evidence when the inquest was held at tho Hospital on Saturday before Mr 0. 0. Graham (coroner). Mr J. R. M. Lemon watched tho caiso on behalf of the relatives of the decease*!, and Sergeant Hodgson conducted tho oase for tho police Adam Smith, a brother of the deceased, a tailor, residing at Bradshaw street, said that the deceased was an iron-turner, residing at Richmond street. Ho. was married, and wae 52 yoare of ago. Witness knew nothing of his own knowledge of the circumstances connected with tho deceased's death. Dr Baigent, house surgeon at the Hospital, said tho deceased was brought to the Hospital ash about 9 p.m. on April 26, in an unconscious state; He had a severe fracture of the skull. Ho was attended to by witness, and subsequently by Dr Fergueon, and hie injuries were treated. Thoy were so serious that little hope was entertained of his recovery. He regained consciousness tho following- day, to a certain extent, but ct no time gave- any explanation as to how tho accident occurred. Thero wero no signs whatever of alcohol about him. He became worse on the night of May 7, and died at 6 o'clock the next morning. The cause of death was fracture of the skull and meningitis. The injuries wero such ae 'night havo been caused through the deceased being thrown from a motor cycle. Arthur M'Donald, blacksmith, residing at Allanton, said that he did not know tbe deceased. On April 26 witness was riding a motor cycle on tho Allanton road about 6 p.m. It was not quito dark. Witness had no lamp with him.

The Coroner: Is it not usual to carry, a lamp?— Witness: Yes. Continuing, witness said he saw snrther motor cycle coming towards him. This cycle had no lamp attached either.. Witness sounded his horn, but the other cyclist did not seem' to take any notice, but kept on witness's side of the road. Witness was on his properside. When the deceased ivas two or tnreo yards off, witnees tried 10 tret out of his way, and both cycles came together. Witness did not recollect any ;noro, find he next found himself in the Hospital. Witness was quite sober, and had had no liquor during the day. v His horn was in good order, and sounded quite clearly. Mr Lemon: You say there was no lamp on the other cycle. Do you mean there was no lamp, or that you ..saw no light. Witness: I mean that I eaw no light. Mr Lemon: Which side were you on? Witness: On the hill side, going towards Alknton—that is, the left side. Mr Lemon: How did you try to get out of the way? Which way did you turn? Witness: I turned to ithe othe-r side of the road. Mr Lemon: ■ How far up had you got when the accident occurred? Witness: I don't exactly know, but I had hardly got moving. I had just turned my handle bars. Mr Lemon: You didn't get to , the centre of the road? Witness: No. Mr Lemon: What speed were you going at, and what was the condition of the road? Witness: I was going 'at six or seven miles an hour, roughly. There was metal on the side of the road where the deceased should have been. Thomas Fogg, dental surgeon, said that on April 26 he was motorinrr from Milton to Dunedin. About 6 p.m. he came upon the scene of the accident. He saw the deceased lying on the road, unconscious. The last witness was also there, staggering on the road, and quite dazed,- and unable to tell anything about' the matter. The > two cycles were standing together, as' if in collision. There. were no lights on them, but witness could not say if there were any lamps. Witness went into Mosgiel for Dr A.Han, leaving others who were in the car with the bodies. Dr Allan returned in the car, together with a constable from Mosgiel. and attended to the injured men, and then witness and his party came to Dunedin and informed the police and arranged for the conveyance of the injured to , the Hospital. The bicycles were standing right in the centre of the v road, as far as witness could say. It was duek at the time, and! the car in which witness rode was carrying lights. Sergeant Hodgson: What relative positions were, the two cycles in with reference to the sides of the road? 1 ' Witness: Smith was on his cycle, entangled in it, leaning over the other machine, and both were, relatively, on their right sides, and in the centre of the road. Mr Lemon: I have two witnesses who saw Smith before the accident, and who say that his light was burning brilliantly— so brilliantly, in fact, that tiiey particularly noticed it. The- Coroner: That, of course, haa nothing- to do with my finding. There can be little doubt that he was on the wrong side of the road, and that was the cause of the accident. Of course, his lamp might have gone out. Mr M'Donald, the previous witness, said that he had a man who would say that he saw the deceased before the accident,' and he had no light then. Mr J. M'Donald, the man in question, when asked by the coroner if this was correct, said that he could not say for certain if the man he saw was the deceased. Mr Lemon: Well, the lamp was alight before, because I can produce certain .people who bought petrol from the deceased before the accident, and who say that .his light was burning brilliantly. The Coroner: If that is so, it is evident that tie! had a light at eome stage of the journey. Whether it had gone out before he saw M'Donald is another matter. But M'Donald says he saw no light.

John LoucJoii, company manager, residing at Dunedin* called by Mr Lemon, said that he did not "know -deceased, but he recognised him four days afterwards at, the Hospital as a man whom he had 6een on the Allanton road on the night of April 26, when he was riding a motor cycle. This would be from two to two and a-half miles from the scene of the accident, as far as witness could (rattier. Witness was in a car with Mr J. R. M'Kenzie. returning from Henley, and at this point they ran out of petrol. They stopped, and the motor cycle came along, ridden by deceased. Deceased ■ pulled\ ud. Witness could not say at what pace deceased was travelling. Deceased bad a brilliant light on Ire cycle. He gave witness two tumblersfull iof petrol, and went off in the direction of Dunedin, with his light still burning. ■ ■ ' The Coroner remarked that the accident seemed purely accidental. A verdict would be returned that the deceased had died of a fractured skull and meningit : s. the result of a collision with another motor cycle^.