NORMAN M’LEOD’S DEATH

Taranaki Daily News, 15 April 1932, Page 3

NORMAN M’LEOD’S DEATH

SOUTH ROAD MOTOR SMASH

FINDING OF CORONER AT HAWERA

LIQUOR CONSUMPTION QUESTION

“That deceased was killed. in a accident on the night of Marc - through the car in which he was a pas sender getting out of the control of the drivfr, Alfred Walker and ov-turn-ing. crushing deceased’s head was the finding of the coroner, Mr. R. S. Sa o e, at the inquest into the death of Norman McLeod, held in the Hawera C °YVX terday. “The evidence produced tends to shJw that the consumption of liquor on the part of the occupants may have had some part in the cause of the ace dent,” was a rider attached to the find inf by the coroner. Norman McLeod was killed when the car struck an electric light post on the South Road about a mile and a-halt from Hawera towards the Ohawe beach. The power lines were snapped at tne time and the town, of Hawera plunged into darkness- for over an hour, me telephone system was also affected at the time by a short circuit. Detective A. B. Meiklejohn conducted the proceedings and the hearing lasted from 10.30 in the morning until 4.30 The father of deceased, Herbert Alexander McLeod, a storeman residing in Mason Street, Tawhiti, stated that his son, whose nineteenth birthday was on the day of his funeral, had collected his fishing gear after tea on the night of the accident and told witness that he was going fishing with Walker, there was no sign of liquor on the boy. That he saw the body of deceased at the scene of the accident about 9 p.m. on March 22, was stated by Dr. W. M. Thomson. He arrived there before the police. There had been some delay in his reaching the place owing to the short-circuit of the telephone system as well as. of the electric lights, following the impact of the car with the post. FOUND ON ROADSIDE. Witness found deceased lying on the left side of the road on the edge of the tar-sealing about five or six yards from the wrecked car. He was dead then, there being cuts about the scalp and face. Another examination next day revealed extensive head injuries, which must have caused almost instantaneous death. The cause of the injuries was, in witness’ opinion, compression of the head between the ground and some part of the car. The driver of the car, Walker, informed witness that he had removed the body from the wreckage. He also told witness that the ear had been somewhat on the right side of the bitumen owing to the camber of the road at that spot and, when he turned the wheel to the left, it locked. Witness further stated that he was positive the car rolled over twice after the skid caused by the locking of the front wheels. He considered that McLeod was killed during the rolling of the car before it struck the post. There could be no doubt that there was considerable speed. He knew of two cases where the same 'thing had happened, and in one the car was proceeding at less than 35 miles an hour. Constable F. Lemin stated that he found the car upside down at the foot of an electric-light pole, and facing towards Ohawe. There was a man on his back and the driver, Walker, explained to witness the cause of the accident as he did to the previous witness. The car did not respond when he first twisted the wheel to the left and Walker it a harder turn. The front wheels then locked and the car began its skid. No question of speed was raised, at that * Witness said that as a result of the collision with the post the whole of Hawera’s electric lighting system failed. It seemed to witness that the foot of the post had been forced back about two inches. Later investigation showed that the car had skidded 132 feet.. The skid marks increased in width with the progress of the skid, indicating that the car gradually turned broadside-on. The road at that point was reasonably wide. There was sand on each side of the bitumen and grass beyond that. Although drivers would use the bitumen as much as possible, the untarred portions on each side were usable by vehicular traffic. The commencement of the skid mark on the tar sealing was 6ft 4in from the right side of the road in the direction the car was facing. The distance from the left edge of the bitumen to the start of the skid was 12ft 2in. The sand was scoured from where the car left the bitumen to the

edae of the grass but, from there to the hedo-e, there were marks indica^ the°car had turned over. The hedge showed marks of the impact. JAR OF BEER PURCHASED. Witness stated that Walker admitted purchasing - two-gallon demi-john- oj beer found at the scene of the and stated that he and deceased had two shandies at 8.40 p.m. 24 Walker mentioned the fact that at 5 p.m. on March 22 he had two shandies. Walker told witness he was not travelling in excess of 35 miles an hour, but his own opinion was that the speed was greater. Witness examined th© car, and there was no doubt that th steering was loose. In answer to the coroner, ™ taes “ said he did not think the car turned over twice. He thought it skiddedon the hood before striking the pole and, had. it not come into contact pole, it would probably have landed on its wheels again. The driver of the car, Alfred George Walker, a resident of Nolantown, sta in evidence that he made arrangements with McLeod during the afternoon of March 22 to go fishing at Ohawe th nicht. McLeod, who was a part.tune employee at the bacon factory of whmh witness was the secretary, left the iac tory shortly after 5 p.m. in with witness. Before leaving four of them shared a bottle of beer fa Sh°ortly after 6 p.m., witness P ick « d up deceased a’t Tawhiti Road and pro ceeded to Ohawe. After fishing for a time, the two of them went to see it the Maoris were out in their Witness had a friend in the launch and, when it was found that the boat had not returned, they decided to ret^ a to town and get a little beer for th friend and one or two other men they knew at Ohawe. Witness and deceased left the car at a garage opposite and. went into the Dominion Hotel. Witness had been there several times, before and, although, he had spoken to the licensee quite often, he hardly knewthe licensee’s wife, Mrs. Wholey. Detective Meiklejohn: I want you \ to be careful about this. Did you see Mrs. Wholey that night? —At the time I thought it was Mrs. Wholey I saw, but events since that time have proved, that I was wrong. . What events?—The charges heard, in this court last week regarding the breaches of the Licensing Act. , Why did you take McLeod into a hotel when vou knew he was under 21 years?—l didn’t know he was that young. He always appeared to be as old as I was and I knew he sometimes had a drink in a hotel. I did not really think about it. . „ T Did Mrs. Wholey serve you’—l thought it was Mrs. Wholey, but evidently I was mistaken. Witness did not take much notice of the woman behind the ban He wen out for a jar and filled it himself upon his return. He and McLeod had a couple of shandies and then moved off. Detective Meiklejohn: Did . you take away any bottled beer? —No. Had you taken any bottles to the beach before this’—There should have been two bottles in the car. * You didn’t disclose this before? I did not remember it for a time; although I have an idea that it was mentioned in my third Did you have any liquor from 5 p.m. until the time you returned from the beach? . , , Yes. McLeod and I had a shandy just before 6 p.m. This was purchased from Mr. Wholey. Th© remains of one bottle were found, in the car. What happened to the other bottle? It was smashed and a man swept the pieces off the road with a broom in. order to save other cars from punctures. Witness had not told the police about the drink at 6 p.m. Neither witness nor deceased had any liquor at the beach. The two bottles had not been opened because there would have been insufficient to go round the friends at the beach. Witness stated, that the car was an old one and it was not an easy car to drive. He had had no previous trouble with the steering. MODEL CAR DEMONSTRATIONS With the assistance of a model car, witness demonstrated to the coroner what he believed had occurred before the accident. Upon nearing the bend on the way out of town, the camber of th© road caused the car to ride to the rio-ht. When witness turned it to th© left the wheels appeared to lock after having failed to respond to the first twist of the steering. The sudden locking to the left caused a skid. The car then got completely out of control, the steering being of no assistance. Witness did not think he applied the brake and, although he * hou S ht 11 ® twisted the wheel to th right, the car did not respond, and smashed sideways into the post. _ Bevond abrasions and bruises witness was unhurt, and when he crawled out he could not see McLeod. He c a ß but there was no answer. He tne crawled back into the wreckage and located deceased under the back .seat and dragged him out on to the side of the road. People had then begun to arrive at the scene, and someone in a car carried messages to the police and doctor. ~ To Detective Meiklejohn, witness said, he was not careless in his driving. His speed was approximately 35 miles an hour and was not .excessive in view of thb fact that the road in front was clear. His judgment had been in no way impaired by the five drinks he had had between 5.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. All the drinks had been small ones. The coroner: You realise that the story you have told has placed you in a difficult position’—l suppose so. You know that there is the possibility of a charge against you? —Yes. .. . Were you in a fit mental state at the time to realise what actually happened? —Yes. , 'Why can’t you tell us now what happened from the time you twisted the wheel until you crawled out of the wreck?—lt is the hardest thing in th© world to explain afterwards how you have pulled a car out of a skid, and I am in that position now. You act sub-consciously and your whole attention is riveted on the car. . Witness did not believe that the car overturned when it skidded on the bitumen, but thought that this occurred just before it reached the hedge. He not account for the position of j the body beneath the back seat. There was the possibility that deceased was thrown out and that the car came hack over him after hitting the post.