MOTOR CYCLE FATALITY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19952, 20 November 1926, Page 6

MOTOR CYCLE FATALITY.

CHARGE AGAINST DRIVER. COURT’S LENIENT VIEW. (Special to Dails Times.) CHRISTCHURCH, November 19. John Caldcr to-day was convicted of having negligently driven a motor-cycle on Rage’s road on February 20, and having caused the death of Robert William Milner. Mr A. T. Donnelly, Crown Prosecutor, said that the motor-cycle carried four men. Milner was in the side chair. Their speed was gravely excessive in view of the overloaded state of the motor-cycle. Near the corner of Page’s road and Cuffs road it was alleged t'nat Caldcr was on his wrong side. He tried to swerve and crashed into a motor car. Milner was killed almost at once. Calder himself had come out of hospital only recently. In a statement Caldcr set down his speed at about 15 miles an hour. His explanation was that he turned off the power and the throttle jammed, and the machine got out of centred. It turned off the road and went on lo the footpath. An inspection after the accident showed that the machine was on top gear. His Honor said that it would bo u mosfortuno if cases of that sort were allowed to pass without a conviction being recorded. Ills Honor felt justified in taking a very lenient course. The accused would bo fined £lO, his license to drive would be cancelled, and he would bo dis- - ■■''''"d from holding a license for three years.