DIED OF INJURIES

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 178, 23 February 1933, Page 4

DIED OF INJURIES

Inquest Into Death of Rex Riley CULMINATION OF TRAGEDY ON MAIN ROAD A verdict that Melville Willis Rox Riley died as a result of injuries received when the motorcycle on which he was . riding came into collision With a car on the main road' between Eltham a-id s*-s».ttHe niqlit bf ‘jari : ; nary 10, 1933, was given by the district coroner, Mr. W. L. Ken- 1 n.edy, at an inquest Into tHe death 1 “of I deceased at the Stratford Courthouse yesterday afternoon. No ;blame was attachable to the driver of the car.

The accident occurred on a stretch of road between Ngacr-u and Stratford and involved a collision between a car driven by Patrick Leo O’Reilly and a motor-cvclo ridden by deceased, W'tb Hazel Phillips riding on the pillion.

j , Thn depositions of the witness, ! Hazel Phillips, were taken at the Ftratford Public Hospital, of which she, is an inmate. Sergeant Kelly conducted the evidence. Mr. A. Coleman appearing on behalf of the driver of the car. I The evidence of the father of the I deceased was published in last night’s ! Post. Pillion Rider’s Evidence Hazej Annin Phillips deposed she was 17 years of age. and resided with her parents at Hunter Road. Eltham. Lately she had been employed at Hawera and residing at Victoria Street, Hawera. She knew Rex Riley, the de’ eepsod. for three or four months, and had on two occasions ridden on the pillion sent of his motor-cycle.' and had found him to be a careful rider. On January 10 she came to Stratford on his cycle, leaving on their return journey between 10 and 10.30 p.m. They seemed to he travelling at a moderate pace. She remembered the cycle colliding with a motor-car coming from the opposite direction. She suddenly saw the lights of flip car. and it appeared that the cycle could not pass without colliding, and this caused her to bang on tightly to the grips of the pillion sent. She could not •°ay if it was the cycle that was too fev ovet* to the rlcM of th" Toad or the car too far over on the cycle’s side, ns the crash was too sudden after p.he Orcf saw the lights of the car. On colliding the cycle seemed to Riv e a jerk and then go on past the car. she felt a blow on her right leg wh’ch became numb. Sbe was injured ra + be r badly on her right leg, hut no other part of her body came in contact with the car. Her right knee Would be about level with the height, of the front part of the ear. She had seen a sketch plan of the scene of Hie accident, hut eould not sav anything about it as she had no idea on what part of the road the collision happened. She could not sav if the evcle swerved, but remembered that the cycle continu'ed alone down the road for quite a. long distance and Crushed up at the left side of the road. Rex seemed to fall off the cycle before witness did, as she was further away from the place of collision v>v a few feet. Mr. O’Reilly came fewn the road to where they were lying, on the side of the road and ask od if witneos was hurt. Otbe r things, were said, but she had no clear rec.ei--1 oetion of what was actuallv said. She remembered Rex saying that th" motor-car bad too much of the road. Evidence of Car-Driver

j Patrick Lpo O’Reilly, farmer, of Skinner Road, Stratford, said that at ehent. 10.30 p.m. on January 10 he was drivlner his car home from Manaia. his mother being beaide him in the front sent, while a child named LawI fence White was lying in the back seat. As he approached the railway crossing between Neaerc and Strat ford he saw the single light of a vehicle about a quarter of a mile away. He crossed the line and proj needed -along, the straight road iw which there was a slight rise. It was then that he saw the light some 30 yards away. He was on the left side "" tv. mad with the right wheels of his car about the centre of the road, j which was 24 feet wide at that point 1 so he could see the motor-cycle had [plen’y of room to pass. The machine i appeared to be on its correct side of ; the road and from the respective po- ; sltions of the two vehicles he could { see there was no need for either to, j alter its course in order to pass, j When they were some four to five | feet apart the cycle swerved sudi donly towards the car and Collided j with the right front mudgard to shoot | past the car. Witness applied the brakes &nd stopped within 21 feet. He walked back along the road and found a young man and a young woman lying near the cycle on the >ide of the road. Riley asked him to get a doctor, so when he had driven his car off the road into the gateway of Mr. Hobbs’ residence he asked Mr. Hobbs to ring up for a doctor and for the police. When Dr. Steven arrived the injured people were taken to the hospital. The inward swerve of the cycle was so sudden that he had no chance to avoid the collision. Besides the damage to the mudguard the right parking light was broken and the front tyre was punctured. The motor-cycle seemed to scrape along the side of the car. When he expressed regret at the accident the young woman remarked; “Don’t you worry; it was not your fault.’’ Witness said he had been driving a car for 14J years and until then had not been involved in any accident.

The Passenger’s Story Mrs. Mary OReilly, residing at the Skinner Road. Stratford, said that she whs the mother of the driver of the car in which she had been a passenger at the time of the accident. The car was proceeding from Ngacre to Stratford. When the car had passed the railway crossing it came on to a straight piece of road on which there -was long visibility. Witness saw the j light of a vehicle approaching from i the direction. As it came I closer witness saw that it was on the 1 correct, side of the road. It was shew i ing a good light as it pgpic nearqij and witness saw that it was a .motorcycle. The night was very clear and the car was showing two good lights. The cycle came very close to the car *>s it as passing, and something struck the car near the front right mudguard. Witness felt the car give a sudden jerk which brought her forward slightly in her seat. Her son at one applied the brakes of the car and pulled up and the cycle went past j at a fast speed. Witness’ son left, the 1 car and walked back along the road When he returned he informed witness that two young people were lying injured on the roadside. Witness also left the car and went along the | road while her son went to summon.

assistance. The girl was quite conscious and she made a remark to witness that “it was no fault of the Cat that the accident had happened:” Witness could not say what caused the cyclist to go so close to the car as there was plenty of room for it to' pass. Witness’ son was driving very carefully and at the normal rate of speed. jj Detailed Measurements Constable Hargreaves said that at 11 p.m. on the date in question he ivas informed of an accident. He went to the place indicated and saw Patrick Leo O’Reilly there. VifStness ascertained that two persons had been injured and had been taken to the public hospital. Their names were, Melville Willis Rex Riley and Hazel Phillips. The motor-car which was involved in the accident was drawn up at the side of the road. With the aid of Constable Gill and Mr. O’Reilly, witness took measurements, an electric torch being used to see certain marks on the road. Commencing measurements from a piece of glass on the road he found that there was a distance of 120 feet to the place where the cycle had stopped. Oil had been 1 spilt on the grass and a short difltance away there was a quantity df blood where the injured persons had lain. Towards Stratford from the cycle skid marks were plainly visible 14 feet away, these extending for 22 feet 6 inches, a break occurring where it appeared the car had stopped. The skid marks were more pronounced on the outer wheel. The distance from the inner wheel marks to the off side was 12 feet. Thb full, width of the road was 24 feet. lie examined the cycle and found that the hand footrest had been wrenched off, and there was a slight depression in the benzine tank near the front on the right side about where the knee of the rider would be. The left footrest was laid flat against the side of the cycle. As to the car, he found the right front mudguafd had been buckled back and split, and the tyre was cut by the mudguard. The right offside parking lamp had been torn off and was hanging looSe. Also, there was a mark alongside the door of the car on the offside, miost prob< ably made by the rubber of ( the handlebar of the cycle. The mghfc was dry and visibility good, and though there was no moon the sky was very clear. The height of the front of the mudguard where it was damaged was 27 inches from the ground and would be the height of the knee of the rider while hef was rid-, ing. Deceased might have been momentarily dazzled by the lights which caused him to swerve. He had 12 feet of road to pass in. , . Medical Evidence

David Steven, medical practitioner, said that he had been called to Ngaere on January 10 about 9.45 p.m. Ho found deceased lying on the east side of the road in the grass south of Mr. Hodge’s gate. Deceased’s injuries consisted of a dislocation at the right ankle joint, the foot being displaced backwards. Both leg bones were broken. There was a severe wound at the right knee joint which was widely opened, also the kneecap was shattered. Above the knee there was considerable bruising of the muscular tissues of the thigh and the femur (thigh bone) was broken in two places, one of these fractures being compound. Deceased also had an irregular lacerated wound across the point of his chin and considerable bruising in the region of the epigastrium. Witness took deceased to hospital in his car. Everything possible; Was done to save the young man’s life, but he died at. 3 a.ra, ..the, next day. Death was duq . to., shock • .and. M injuries.,;. , .. oxfj oojib, m ■/I i -The Verdict , - • In giving his verdict the. coroner said that no one had been able tb give a reason as to why the cycle should have swerved towards the car. This point, however, had been explained to him by several constables, and it would appear to be a psychological point that motor-cyclists were dazzled and yet drawn to the lights of ai car when travelling. On the other hand a car-driver instinctively swerved away from any approaching lights by which he was dazzled. “It is a sad business,’ continued the coroner. “My verdict is that deceased died as a . result of injuries received when the motor-cycle on which he was riding came into collision with a car. No blame is attachable to the driver oj the car,’’ , , . ■ f