FATAL ACCIDENT TO BOY

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1929, Page 11

FATAL ACCIDENT TO BOY

KNOCKED OVER BY MOTORIST DEATH AFIER FRACTURE OF'SKULL. WAS PUPIL OF FITZROY SCHOOL. Having had. his skull fractured when ha was struck by a motor-car, Laurence Jordan, aged 13, died in the New Plymouth Hospital on Saturday, five minutes after being admitted. He was a eon of Mr. C. ! E. Jordan, Ropiha Street, and was a pupil of the Fitzroy School. 7 The driver of the car chiefly concerned was Douglas Lobb, Glen Road.’ About 4.50 p.m. he was proceeding towards town down the Mangaone Hill with his mother and a small boy. Large numbers of vehicles and pedestrians were returning from the Bell Block aerodrome at the time. According, to.. Mr. Lobb, he was keeping about 15 feet‘behind’a sedan car when another driven by Mr. Sydney G.’ Bellringer came up behind and the horn was sounded to pass. Just as Mr. Bellringer had travelled ahead another car approached from the opposite direction and, .to avoid a possible collision he had to pull in to the left between Mr. Lobb’s car and the sedan. Mr. Lobb thus found it necessary to steer further to the left, with the result that his two left-hand wheels were off the tar-sealed surface. Then it was that he first noticed Jordan, about six feet a.way. The boy was struck by a mudguard; and knocked a distance of about four feet. Mr. - Lobb stopped his car and went back to find that an injury to the back of the head, had been inflicted. Dr. R. J. R. Mecredy arrived on the scene and attended to Jordan, after which Mr. Lobb took him to the hospital, where they ayriyed . at 5.10 ; p.m. '' - Besides his mother ‘ and’ some children, Mr. Bellringer had ’ two other women in his car. According, to him, the car he passed was about 3,0 feet away from the sedan in front. He edged in between them because, owing to the approach of another car and a motor-cycle from town, he considered he would not have time to pass the sedan. On hearing a thud and observing in his reflector that Mr. Lobb was. beckoning, he went back to see what had happened. The name of the driver of the sedan in front of Mr. Lobb was unknown last night. An inquest was opened yesterday and was adjourned sine die after evidence of identification had been given. 4