FATAL OKAIAWA SMASH

Taranaki Daily News, 10 February 1934, Page 4

FATAL OKAIAWA SMASH

VERDICT AT HAWERA INQUEST. DRIVER OF CAR EXONERATED. “The evidence shows that deceased was considerably under the influence of liquor,” said the coroner, Mr. R. S. Sage, when returning a Verdict at Hawera yesterday that Rakei Wera, Okaiawa, died as the result of injuries following a collision. Wera was riding a motor-cycle which collided with a three-seater car driven by Sydney Cleaver, Te Ngutu, about a quarter of a mile from Okaiawa on the Normahby Road at about 9 p.m. last Saturday. The coroner exonerated Cleaver from any blame for the accident. Dr. J. Caimey, medical superintendent of the Hawera hospital, said that Wera was admitted to hospital on Saturday night and died at 8.35 a.m. on Monday. He had a dislocated wrist, a fractured jaw, several wounds and abrasions and probably some laceration of the brain. Sidney Frederick Cleaver, Okaiawa, the driver of the car, said that he was at Hawera on the night of February 3 and left for Okaiawa at about 9 p.m., accompanied by his two sisters and Miss J. Rowlands, Eltham. It was a threeseater car and all four were on the one seat. He had ample room to manoeuvre while driving. He travelled towards Okaiawa. from Normanby at about 30 miles per hour. ' His lights were in good order and, the weather, though there was not bright moonlight, was fine. He was driving on the centre of the road, slightly on his incorrect side. He glimpsed a dark object, possibly a chain away. He then saw it was a motor-cycle and immediately prior to the collision swung to his incorrect side in an endeavour to avoid an impact. His car, .though not badly damaged, was knocked partly off the road and'he proceded a short distance on the grass at the roadside before regaining the road and stopping. He alighted from his car and a _ man whom he learnt had been on the .pillion of the cycle'came to meet him. Deceased was lying on the motor-cycle. Witness went for assistance and the police and an ambulance were called. He had had four years’ driving experience. If the cycle had been lighted or had been on its correct side the collision could have been avoided. Wera, if he had been keeping a proper look-out, must have seen his headlights. He examined the cycle and saw that there was no lamp on it. He had noticed no smell of liquor from the injured man. Janet Rowlands, a passenger in the car, said that immediately prior to the collision she saw the cycle, which seemed to come from nowhere. The rider seemed to have his head down. After the collision, while witness and Cleaver’s sisters were sitting in the car, the man who had been on the pillion came up to them and said that “he had warned him and he had said it would be all right.” She had understood this to mean that he had warned Wera of the danger of travelling without a light. The man appeared to be sober. Charlie Waitara, the pillion rider concerned in the accident, said that he met Wera in Okaiawa at 5.30 p.m. on February 3. Wera appeared to have had a number -of drinks, and witness thought he would stop rind see that he got home safely. They stopped by a store for about quarter of an hour and then went to an hotel and had two shandies each. Rakei said he was going home, and witness said he would accompany him as Rakei had had rather too much liquor. They spent some time in starting the cycle, which was in bad order. Eventually, with witness on the pillion, they set out for home towards Normanby. Witness' saw the ’lights of a car on a straight stretch of road. He thought Rakei had seen the lights too, as witness had warned him and Rakei had replied that it would-be all right; The.cycle,was on its incorrect side and the car in the centre of the road, slightly on its wrong side. As the car approached witness, by leaning over, tried to steer the cycle further to its incorrect side, but Wera steered it towards the centre and the collision occurred. There was no lamp on the cycle. Just before the. accident he and Wera had been - fixing the mechanism of the cycle on the wrong side of the road, and had only just restarted when the collision occurred. ' To Mr. A. K. North, who appeared for Cleaver, he said that Wera had had his head down adjusting the mechanism when the impact occurred. He thought that the amount of liquor Wera. had had was the cause of the accident. They had had only two drinks at Okaiawa. The reason for their taking over two hours to proceed a quarter of a mile from Okaiawa was that they had had a great 'deal of trouble with the cycle.