TWO PERSONS KILLED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18355, 24 March 1934, Page 12

TWO PERSONS KILLED

ITWO OTHERS INJURED CAR RUNS INTO TRATN ACCIDENT AT WAITAKERE (Por Press Association.) AUCKLAND, last night., Two poisons were killed and two others injured when a sedan motor car in which they were riding struck the Opua-Auckland express at a level crossing just north of Waitakere railway station. , The victims were brought to Mount Eden on the train. Two were dead on arrival and the- other two were admitted to hospital. The victims are killed James Higfi, 50, single, lie was a driver employed by the Auckland City Council and lived at Rertvuera. Charles Wandefson, 43. Single. He was a retired railway workshop employee and lived at Newmarket. INJURED (Frank Impey, 45, married, Mt. Roskill. He was driving and received concussion and a fracture of the arm. His conditions is fairly serious. Gertrude McGee, 47, widow, of Hcrno Bay. .She received a. fracture of the elbow and hand. Her condition is not serious. The motor-car approached from the western side of the crossing and the drivel, Mr. Impev, apparently saw the tr.'im approaching when it was too late for him to stop, as he turned sharply to the right in ait endeavor to avoid a collision. The cur struck the engine about 6ft. behind the front of the cow catcher and bounced back on to the front of the guard’s van immediately behind the engine. The **iir was struck by each of the six carriages in turn, (hushing in a wrecked condition partly beneath the last carriage. , . The train, which was slowing down prior to stopping at Waitakere station, was stopped in its own length. Passengers hastened to the assistance of the occupants of the car. The four people were still in the wrecked car and difficulty was experienced in extricating them.

The train arrived at Auckland threequarters of an hour lath. Splinters of glass were still scattered about the front of the engine and it was found that the air pipe of the braking system had been broken and a cylinder damaged by the impact. The heading on the right side of. the ca rriages for practically the whole length of the. train, was also damaged.