CROSSING SMASH

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17956, 7 December 1932, Page 8

CROSSING SMASH

MRS. DUNCOMBE’S DEATH COMPANION’S EVIDENCE TRAVELLING AT SLOW vSPEED Owing to her condition precluding attemlauce at. ihe. Coroner’s Court, tho evidence, of Mrs. Elsie Mary Earnshaw, of Ormond road, in connection with tho inquest, into the; circumstances surrounding the death of Airs.;Minnie-Duncombo was .taken at her bedside to-day. and the inquiry will he completed in a few days •>' ' ’• .

Mrs. Dunconibe was killed instantly when a light, closed, in ear which, she was driving collided with the down train from Alotuboraat the Waihirero crossing tone minute-before 10 n.in. on October 21. : With her in-the .front seat was Mrs. Earnshaw, who suffered a broken leg and head injuries, white Mrs. : Earnshaw’s TC-yea-r-old daughter, seated on a box- behind tile driver’s seat, also received head; injuries, from which sjio recovered about Iwo wgeks later; Mrs. Florence Willis and Airs. Jocl.ua, Stood. who, occupied the hack seats escaped injury, but suffered severely front shqck. . t. Mrs, Earnshaw is still an inmate of the Cook Hospital,- and. in order that the inquest, -which was formally opened on the day following the fatality* might he proceeded with, her evidence, was taken at the hospital to-day by the.-dis-trict coroner, Mr. P. •H. Harper,: S.M. Sergeant Clark represented, the police, aVid Mr. (!. Bradley Smith appeared for the relatives of the deceased, while Mr. J. 3. Wauchop also watched The proceedings in the interests of the insurance company,;. ;. - -.-

Airs. Earnshaw .stated that on tho morning of October 21 the deceased called at liar, house to Lake her for a drive to Puha, and they left witness’ house at about 9:30 o’clock. The car proceeded along the back Ormond road towards the main. Gisborne-Ormond fowl, and when it was approaching tho Waihirere crossing witness -estimated its speed at between 12 nhd .15 miles an hour; Witness was looking at a house on the right-hand side of'the road,/ and was not speaking to the deceased, When clone to the erasing Mrs. buncombe reduced the speed of the car, and witness then noticed, the train quite close to The crossing, approaching.slowly.

The train seemed to come into view suddenly, and witness heard the deceased 'exclaim, ‘-’Oh my God, here is tho train.” At’that mordent the train was only a few feet from them.. Witness knew then that there must be a collision. After that she fainted,! and remembered nothing further until she'was being taken out from beneath the ear.

In reply to Mr. Wauchop, Mis. Earnshaw stated that the deceased Was in her usual health that morning. The car was quite a. new one, and ran quietly. To Air. Smith, witness said that Mrs. Dun coin bo had driven the car to Puha several times before, and oil this occasion she was driving carefully. It was rather- windy that morning, but conditions were improving when they left at 9.30. and it; was quite calm and fine when they were driving along the Waibirere road. n>; was a. sedan car, and tho driver’s window was open about bin at the time. - -