THE DEADLY CROSSING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16807, 21 November 1928, Page 7

THE DEADLY CROSSING

CAR WRECKED BY TRAIN SMASH NEAR PICTON STATION Further particulars respecting tha recent railway crossing accident at Picton, which resulted in the death of Mrs. J. K. Hannah, wife of the manager of the Bank, of New Zealand, Picton, show that the engine caught the car near the cattle stop, flinging it completely over with such force that witnesses declare that it somersaulted twice in the air. Mrs. Hannah was killed instantly. Mrs. Latter was flung right over the train on to a grassy bank on the far side, and Miss Chaytor and Miss Hursthouse were thrown clear many feet away. *

Miss Chaytor suffered severe leg injuries, necessitating the insertion of 24 stitches, and i 3 also suffering severely from shock. Her condition is somewhat serious. Miss Hursthouse suffered severe bruises and shock and is also in the hospital. Mrs. Latter, an elderly widow, although suffering severely from shock and abrasions, insisted on being taken home, where she lives alone. Later in the day she was discovered by friends to be suffering from the effects of a blow on the head and from shock, and she was taken charge of by neighbors.

Those who witnessed the accident state that it was marvellous that the whole party were not killed, and this opinion is confirmed by the appearance of the car, which is wrecked. Miss Hursthouse, who is a cousin of the .Chaytor family, was spending a holiday with Mr. and Mrs. H. P. Staec/at Marshlands, and had been on a visit to Miss Chaytor at Picton. Miss Chaytor was motoring her back to Marshlands at the time -of the accident, and the other ladies went along for the ride. Mrs. Hannah was very popular in social circles, and her loss will be greatly felt, as she had taken a prominent part in affairs during the three years she had been resident in Picton. Her son is in the , employ of the Bank of New Zealand at Woodville.