ERROR OF JUDGMENT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16492, 9 November 1927, Page 8

ERROR OF JUDGMENT

MOTORING FATALITY ,Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. At the inquest in regard to the death of Mrs, Caughley in a motor accident at Kelbum on Sunday, Caughley gave evidence than - on going through the cutting at 10 miles an hour he noticed a boy coining at him on a bicycle five yards away and on the wrong side of the road. A collision was inevitable, lie swung his car to the right, at the same tiinp applying the foot brake. The cyclist, however, swerved in the same direction and struck him in about tho middle of the road. Up to that time, Caughley said, lie did not realise that they were in danger. He saw that they were heading for a fence, and applied full pressure of the brakes, but the ear went on through the fence and over the bank. Both brakes were adjusted a fortnight before the accident. He believed that though the collision was unavoidable he would not have left the road if he had applied pressure to the brakes immediately he saw the boy.

Tho coroner said that, if liotlr parties 1 ad kept to (lie left the accident might not have happened. However, there was no absolute law regarding the positions ,on the road. It appeared to him that, if there was an error of judgment it was on the part of Caughley in concluding that the cyclist could get past him, but he would not say that it was a wrong conclusion Caughley came to. He should have applied both brakes fully when lie saw the cyclist. The car would probably have stopped before reaching the fence. A verdict of death from injuries through being accidentally crushed was returned, the coroner expressing sympathy with Caughley and his family.