CORONER’S INQUEST

Southland Times, Issue 21872, 25 November 1932, Page 4

CORONER’S INQUEST

MATAURA FATALITY.

ACCIDENTAL INJURIES.

The adjourned inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of the late Mr James Paterson, of Mataura, was concluded before the District Coroner, Mr A. Martin, J.P., at the Gore Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning. Sergent Fryer represented the police. Evidence was given by A. A. Cook, who said he was driving a motor cycle, with sidecar attached, from Invercargill to Waikaia on November 5. He was travelling at a speed of approximately 25 miles an hour. He passed Mr Downes, who was driving a car, about 200 yards from the scene of the accident. After he had passed the car he noticed an elderly man, Paterson, on the right hand side of the road, about four feet out from the grass. Paterson was stooping when witness first noticed him. When witness was about 40 yards away Paterson began to cross the road in the direction of his house, which was just opposite. Witness slowed down, but when about half-way across the road Paterson hesitated and after stepping backwards and forwards two or three times, stood still. Witness thought Paterson had stopped to allow him to pass, but when he was almost abreast he suddenly ran towards his cycle. Witness swerved on to the grass and avoided striking Paterson with the wheel of his cycle, but he was struck by the mirror on the right handlebar of the cycle. On looking round he saw Paterson lying on the road and assisted him into the house. There was an excavation on the roadway, about four feet inside the grass and away from the gravelled part of the road. But for that he might have avoided Paterson. E. A. Downes, driver of the car, said he saw Paterson twice step forward and then backward, but as the cycle got nearer Paterson appeared to witness to make a dash to get across the road and ran into the cycle. Paterson seemed to be confused. Constable Murphy also gave evidence as to the marks of the cycle on the road and on the grass. On the grass about four feet in from the metalled part of the road there was an excavation some ten feet long by four feet wide, varying in depth from four to ten inches. The cycle had gone as close to this as it was safe to go. The Coroner returned a verdict that Paterson died from shock and cerebral haemorrhage on November 14 resulting from injuries accidentally received on November 5 by colliding with a motor cycle ridden by A. A. Cook. No blame was attachable to Cook.