SECOND EDITION. MOTORING TRAGEDY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17174, 3 February 1930, Page 8

SECOND EDITION. MOTORING TRAGEDY

OAU OVERTURNED DRIVER & PASSENGER KILLED CORONER'S RECOMMENDATION The circumstances surrounding the death of tho driver and one passenger in a car which overturned at Matawhero on January 20 were inquired into before tho coroner, Mr. P. 11. Harper, S.M., this morning when an inquest was held on Krik. Gideon Ogren, and George Waikare Nelson. Ogren was killed instantly when the car overturned, and Nelson, the driver, died later in hospital from the injuries he received. The icoronor found that the accident was caused through Nelson attempting to turn the corner at an excessive speed, and added a rider recommending the removal of a hoarding at tho corner where the car overturned.' At the inquest Sergeant Mclntyre represented the police. Dr. R. J. B. Hall, medical superintendent at the Cook Hospital, stated that Nelson was admitted to the hospital at 1.15 p.m. on January 20 in an unconscious condition. He was bleeding from both ears, the nose, and mouth, and he had a bruise on the left shoulder and a haematoma of the left eye. He died at 11.55 p.m. that day, and the cause of Ids death was compression of the braiti, secondary to intercrani.il haemorrhage from a "fracture at the base of the skull. Nelson was unconscious all the time.

• Frederick Hugh 'Stanley, a Waterside worker, stated that January 20 he met Nelson and a man named QTJonnell, with whom he had two drinks, and as he was leaving Nelson suggested that he should accompany him and others on a motor drive into the country. Nelson, Ogren, O'Cbnnell, and witnesw made up tho party, and they left town at 9.30 a.m. in Nelsons car, which was an old one. They had three drinks in the Makaraka Hotel, and remainded there talking for an hour. Nelson then suggested that they should go on to the Bridge Hotel, having heard that the licensee was in hospital, and desiring to make some inquries about his condition. They .reached the hotel after 11 o'clock, and had two drinks j Ogren did riot drink, and did not on any occasion leave the car. It was about 11.30 a.m. when they left the Bridge Hotel to return to Gisborne, Nelson being at the wheel. On tho way from the hotel to Fuller's comer at Matawheno the car was travelling at what witness* considered was too great a speed. ' Witness thought Nelson was going to drive straight across at the corner, instead of turning to the right, for he did not think the driver would take the right hand corner at such a speed. The only recollection witness had of the accident was the crash, and he could not remember how many times the cai» turned over, having been dazed. When he recovered complete consciousness he saw Ogren lying on the road, apparently dtod, and Mr. Domincy was attending to "Nelson. Nelson and witness were taken to hospital in the ambulance. Witness and O'Cbnnell escaped with only slight abrasions. Witness had never previously driven with Nelson. On the' way out from town -Nelson drove satisfactorily, taking the corners well, and not travelling at an excessive speed. They were a.ll perfectly sober when they left the hotel. - At that time there was very little traffic on the road, and the weather was fine, the road surface being dry. In witness' opinion the cause of the acciderit was the car's excessive speed at the corner, and he thought, that if Nelson had not applied the Wakes the accident might not have occurred j Nelson applied the 'brakes When he saw that he—could not get round the corner. *

To the coroner, witness said there was yio reason for them to hurry back to town that morning. Nelson was quite sober, and was in a fit state to drive, a*car, Thomas O'Conneil, the other companion of the two', deceased, gave corroborative evidence, stating that .on the return jotoney he was sitting with the driven Before reaching the blacksmith's corner the car was travelling at between 30 and 36 rhiles' an hour on the bitumen, and Nelson slowed down to about 25 miles an hour when he approached the corner. At the intersection witness thought Nelson was going straight ahead, but instead, after he had gone tcto far, in witness' opinion, to turn th# : corner, having gone off the bitunten into the loose metal,, he suddenly and unexpectedly swung to the right. At that time' they were still travelling at about 25 miles an hour, and witness, felt the back of the car skid off the road. Witness caught hold of a portion of the hood, and half stood up, and when the car turned over he fell across Nelson's .back. Witness was hit on the back of the head, and that was the last he remembered. He was examined by Dr. Gunn, but his injuries wore slight. In witness' opinion if Kelson had turned the. corner on the bitumen the accident would not have happened, and he thought the accident was due to Nelson's attempt to turn the car too suddenly In the loose metal. Nelson should not have been affected by the liquor he had had, as he had only been drinking small glasses of beer. Witness had been conversing with him in the front seat, and he appeared to be quite all right. His driving on the return journey appeared to ho no different from what it was before. That' was the first time witness had driven any distance with Nelson, whom he regarded as quite a good driver. To the coroner, witness said he did not consider Nelson's speed reasonable if ho had intended turning the corner on the bitumen. "No car should travel at morn than 15 miles an hour at that corner," remarked the coroner. : "It is one the most dangerous corners in the district. Patrick Gilbert, a drover, stated that he was ridirjE towards town about half a chain oh the (lisborno side of Fuller's corner at about 12.15 p.m. on January 20, when on glancing round, ho saw a car' approaching the corner at a fast rate of speed. Witness watched the progress ;bf the car to the corner, and it appeared jto be too far off the. .bitumen when it turned. The car capsized twice- on the j road, and was about to turn over a (third time when it finished up on its j side between two fences. Witness went back und Pound Ogren lying with his j head in the ditch between, the two fences, and Nelson lying on Ogren's head. Witness lifted Ogren out of the ditch, and he appeared to be dying. If. had appeared to witness that the car was 1 ravelling too fast to turn the corner. The blacksmith's shop was situated I Almost-on the corner, and there wa« a big hoarding on the roadway; from a driver's point of view the hoarding could not be in a worse position. The .corner was one at which drivers should excerise the greatest care on account of 1 these obstructions and of tho steepness jon the fall of the road on the left-hand I side of the crown.

Irt reply to the coroner, witness said Urged hud.a broken neck. Jesse Fuller, blacksmith, of Matawhero, stated that shortly niter midday on January 20, while he was working in his shop his attention was drawn to the speed of a car hearing the corner. The

car came into wewon the corner, and at first witness thought the driver intended to go straight on, judging from the speed of the car. (Suddenly, however, he swerved to the right, but he Bad gone too far to get round, and the car overturned almost immediately, when Nelson had got it partly round, the back wheel skidding. The car turned over twice, and but for the fence would have yotie over a third time. In witness' opinion the car was travelling at nothing less than 30 iniles an hour when Nelson attempted to turn. The occupants Were all thrown out, arid rushing out to assist, witness found Nelson, Ogren, arid Stanley were pratically under the car, and Ogren's death must have been almost instantaneous. The corner was one whero great care was necessary on the part of drivers. Tho hoarding had been erected when there was little motoring traffic on the roads, but witness regarded it as a good thing at the corner, because if their view of the road was not obscured they would not take as mudi care. If the hoarding were removed, motorists would be. inclined to approach tho corner with greater speed. Constable Morris deposed that at about 12.30 on January 20 he accompanied the ambulance to the scene of the accident, and on arrival found Ogren and Nelson, lying on tho edge bt tho grass. Ogren was dead, Nelson was very badly injured, and Stanley was sitting close by, but did not appear to bo seriously 'hurt. O'Connell was walking about the road. A few minutes later the doctor arrived. Witness inspected tho locality, and the marks indicated that the car had travelled too far to enable it to negotiate the corner; there were marks where It had skidded to a certain extent, in the. rubble. The car itself was hanging on top of the two fences well off the ground. It was considerably knocked about. The coroner found that Nelson ami Ogren met their din-tit* through injuries sustained when a car driven ,by Nelson capsized while turning Fuller 8 corner, Malavvhero, due to the excessive speed at which the caff was travelling at the lime. Mr. Hafper added flic following rider: "That in view of the dangerous nature of I'his corner and of the obstruction caused by I he hoarding erected near the blacksmith's shop on the comer, and ill order to afford n clearer Vision for traffic approaching the corner from cither direction, I recommend that the local authority concerned should take steps to ilMtve the hoarding removed."