THE WHENUAKURA MOTOR CYCLE ACCIDENT

Patea Mail, Volume LIII, 31 July 1933, Page 2

THE WHENUAKURA MOTOR CYCLE ACCIDENT

GUNN SHOWS NO CHANGE. On inquiry at the local hospital this morning we were informed , that the condition. Of the young, man Gunn, who was found lying beside his motor cycle near the golf links at - Whemxakura on Thursday last, shows no. change, and he has not yet regained consciousness; Further particulars with’ regard to the accident go to show that Gunn overtook and , passed a car near the Whcnuakura Bridge, and was proceeding at .a mod- 1 crate pace towards Patea. -When be ’ tween Miss O’Rielly-’s residence and the golf links, gate the - ccupants of tho car noticed Gunn lying on the side of the road, and his machine a yard or so away. He was then •. quite unconscious and was* bleeding profusely from the mouth, ears, and nose. As the ear pulled up another car that was proceeding to Patea arrived and the driver, on seeing what had happened, immediately proceeded with all haste for medical assistance, and Dr. Simmons was not long in arriving on the scene, and forthwith conveyed the injured man to tho hospital, where an examination revealed that he had sustained a fracture of the base of tho skull. Marks on the roadway showed that the cycle had skidded for a.distance of 74 .feet before coming to a halt. As no cars had been,.met with and the road was not very slippery, there seems little, likelihood of the machine having skidded and overturned. The generally accepted theory is that as (Gunn had journeyed first to Wavcrlcy and then to Hawera, a.nd afterwards again to • Waverloy arid then back towards Patea, it is ,probable that he fell asleep whilst riding and the machine proceeded for thel distance of 75 feet partly on its side before finally overturning and throwing Gunn on to the roadway.