DEATH OF MOTORIST

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16373, 22 June 1927, Page 11

DEATH OF MOTORIST

CHARGE AGAINST CAR DRIVER (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. After several remands, the case against John Walling, 43, a carrier, of Eastbourne, of recklessly driving a motor-car at Tawa Flat on June 3 and thereby causing the death of Mrs. Helen Teller, is proceeding before 'Mr. E. Rage, S,M., to-day. The chief detective is conducting the prosecution, and Mr. Perry is defending. Among the evidence the police photographer, Dinnie, put in a photo taken on June 4, which showed a mark on the left rear mudguard such as might have been caused by contact with a motor tyre. He admitted that it might have been caused in other ways.

Alexander Coleman, driver of the car which went over the bank, said a darkcolored 'Closed-in oar attempted to pass without any horn being sounded. Witness considered it a ridiculous place to try to pass, as there was a bank on one side of the gully. When the other car got. abreast, witness applied 1 the brakes. Seeing the position, the driver of the other car also applied the brakes. He then released them, and shot across Hie front of witness' car. The rear mudguard, or bumper, of the other car struck witness' front wheel and rrushed him off the road. Ho estimated the speed of the other car as 10 miles more than his own. He did not see the car number. The occupants must have been aware of the collision because of the jar and the noise of the impact.

Edward Thomas Skews, motor mechanic, said lie stopped his car just past Tawa. Flat to allow three cars, the last of them a sedan, to pass. He fallowed some distance behind several for a time, lie saw a sedan attempt unsuccessfully to pass the second car. After a few minutes the sedan passed (the second car and he beard the noise of an impact. The second car then plunged over the bank. ' The sedan went on round Ihe coi'in-r, and witness .pursued it for about, half a mile. When he came up within 10ft., with the aid of the headlights and a spotlight, h« took the number. The sedan was not out of his sight during the pursuit.