DEATH OF PILLION RIDER

Taranaki Daily News, 6 May 1931, Page 3

DEATH OF PILLION RIDER

CYCLIST SENT FOR TRIAL FATAL 'COLLISION AT LEPPERTON. INQUEST ON MISS GOLDSWORTHY. Charged with causing the death of Elsie May Goldsworthy on March 8 by negligently riding his motor-cycle on the Mountain Road at Lepperton, Leonard Roy Augustus Irving pleaded not guilty at New Plymouth yesterday and was committed for trial to the Supreme Courtl sitting on May 25. The inquest on Miss Goldsworthy was taken in conjunction with the lower Court proceedings. The coroner W. Tate, S.M.) found that death was caused by shock and loss of blood consequent on a fractured skull sustained in a collision between Irving’s ‘cycle, on which' she- was riding pillion, . and a car driven by John A. Blanchard. Irving, who was .not represented, by counsel, was admitted to bail in. his own recognisance of £5O and another of a similar amount. . ' ' -

About 10.10 p.in. he was in bed, said William Nichol, farmer, Lepperton. Hearing. his wife calling him as she ran to the window, he went to the door, and heard footsteps on the road. “Is there anything wrong?”'he called. “It is bad,” said, a voice. “Get a doctor,' the police and a car.” ' He telephoned for the doctor and police and went on to the road. Jwo cars were there, one of them pulled in towards his gate. A motor-cycle lay on the right-hand-side of the, road. Nearby a girl Jay dead, a young man holding her head. ... - t This was Irving, he thought. “Im afraid she’s gone,” said the man. , The cycle was just off the tar-seal in a ditch, against a milk stand. The car was on the left of the. road opposite the cycle. . The wheel of the cyclo" was buckled back and the right front wheel of the car and the buffer were bent backwards.-, t ‘ ... There was no moon and the night was dark. He would say visibility was “medium.” ■WHAT DOCTOR FOUND.

Medical evidence was given by Dr. P. C. Davie. He arrived at the scene about half ,an hour after the accident. The girl was lying dead on the roadside, with- a- pool of blood under her head. She had been'bleediiig from, the ears, nose and scalp. The skull was fractured, the cause of death being shock and loss of blood. Visibility was bad. To the coroner: He drove his own ear that night.' When driving his car - towards Inglewood and. two miles south of .Lepperton, John Albert Blanchard, casein maker, Durham Road,, saw a motQi-.cy cle come round the bend about 20 chains away, travelling, about a chain behind a motor-car. Me could not judge the speed of either vehicle, both of which he saw quite plainly. He slowed up and pulled to the left, the other car doing the same. ■ . As the two cars had. almost passed one another he saw the headlight of the cycle appear from behind the other car, It struck his car head-on, hitting the right-liand front wheel.- He thought he saw something fly past the window. He stopped the car and got ouV A man called to him. He saw living rise from the road and walk towards the girl; who was lying on the mountain side of the road, on .the edge of the tar-seal. Thau was about 60 ieet from his car. She was dead. Ii ving picked her up and carried, her towards the motor-cycle, which was on the gras; by. a cream-stand. The other car went straight on without stopping. At the time of the impact his car was not travelling at more than 30 miles per hour. There was a skid-mark on the road. , 1 , / To the coroner:' After the other vehicles came' round the bend he Ib eight of the cycle-for a time.' He , did not again see/it till it. reappeared from behind the car just before -the accident. His : own lights wei‘e’. quite -effective and could have been. seen -for a considerable distance. ‘Theother car and the cycle both had.good lights. He had no‘ time to swing- further to the left when, he sawXthe cycle appear from behind the approaching car. There, was a clearance of about three- feet between the cats. ' . ■ Corroborative evidence was given by Catherine Lilian Ryan, Norfolk Road, who was sitting in the front seat with Blanchard. It was she who had asiiea Nichol to get a doctor, Blanchard having -gone back to help Irving. She thought it was a fairly cleat night.

SPEED OF THE MOTOR-CYCLE. , When he was driving his lorry from Inglewood .to New. Plymouth; Stanley George Burgess was passed by the motor-cycle six miles from the scene, of the accident. The lorry was travelling about 20 miles,;per hour, he said,, and the cycle at about 30 miles. The cycle lights were quite good. At Waiongona, later on, he came upon the scene of the accident. . “It’s pretty serious,” said Blancliaid. “I think she’s dead.” The. lights on the car, which were very good, were still wcikiiig. He did not notice the lights on the cycle. ; ' Irving said ho mistook the action of the car in front. He thought it had pulled over to let him pass and, accelerating, he had not time to pull back when he saw the approaching ear. The car had all four wheels on the asphalt, the skid marks showing that after the collision it travelled, about eight yards, and towards the centre of the road. The cycle was off the. tar sea!.' The car had been on its correct side when the collision occurred. .It was a good driving bight, without rain. In response to a telephone message at 10.50 p.m. Constable F. Longbottom, InHcwood, went to the scene of the accident, arriving about 11.15. Miss Goldsworthy’s body had been removed. The car and cycle were in the positions they were in following the impact.- Blanchard’s car was on the eastern side of the road,' on a slight angle, the back left hand wheel being right, on thp -.edge of the tar-seal on the railway, side. The bumper, steering rod and front axle were pushed back, the right hand front wheel ba div -broken and the tyre, punctured and “partly torn from the rim. Both lights were biirning well. ■A pool of blood nearer Leppertou, 45ft sin from the point of impact, indicated the'-place where the girl lay at first The cycle was on the. other side of the road. The front wheel had collapsed and the whole front part of the cycle was badly damaged. The car tyre had left an impression op the cycle six inches to the light of the centre. ~ , ~ The scaling was I4it wide and on the railway side there was six feet of good meta! travelling surface. On the other side the ground was rough and uneven. The. road was practically level and straight for 200 yards on the Inglewoo;! side of the point -of impact and for a much greater distance in the opposite direction. From the point of impact to the front of Blanchard’s car there was a skid mark 2.lft "in long. It was a clear star-lit night. _ _ Constable Wilson, who accompanied

Ur? Davie, gave similar evidence to that of Constable Longbottom. Irving' was sitting in a dazed condition on the ruin.'ing-board of Blanchards .car. Hep was later taken to the. hospital. - In the meantime Constable Longbottom- ar* rived - and together ‘they took measurements. '' > . A statement to the police made by Irving oh March 16 was produced’ by Sergeant McGregor. Irving said be was an unemployed cheese factory hand, living at Veale’s Estate. On the night 1 of°the accident lie .was .riding, his cycle towards Lepperton, with Miss Golds--, worthy on the pillion seat. His speed was from 30 to. 35 miles per hour and he kept .' about 25 yards ' behind the strange car most of the- way. Opposite ... Nichol’s farm his headlights -were shining into the car’s reflector. The car was pulled to. the left. of, the road and he thought it was an invitation to him to pass. “They are pulling over to let you pass,” said Miss Goldsworthy. Blowing his horn, he steered to -tl;e side. • It was then that he saw the other car approaching from the opposite direction. He did not have time to pull ■back, and collided with the front .of the car, though not exactly head-on.; - He was thrown on to the road. Miss Goldsworthy lay on the roadside some distance away. Going over to her he picked her up and she put her ’arm around his shoulder.. Then he - felt her heart and found she was quite dead. He carried her to . the cycle, and laid her beside it.

He had not seen. Blanchard’s. car until he pulled out to pass the other car, nor did he see the headlights. earlier than immediately' preceding the collision. Ho was travelling at from 30 to 35 miles an hour when he pulled out to pass. The two middle toes of his right foot were injured and were subsequently amputated in the New Plymouth Hospital.