CAR TRAGEDY

Te Puke Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 26, 11 April 1939, Page 5

CAR TRAGEDY

THREE KILLED FIVE INJURED FOUR FROM TE PUKE Three people were killed and five were injured in a collision between two motor-cars on the main south road about two miles north of Ohinewai at 4.30 Saturday afternoon. Two of those who died were a Wellington man and his wife, and the third was a young woman who was engaged to their son, who suffered head and arm injuries. Killed Mr John Staples, aged 60, boot manufacturer, of 15 Mana Street, Vogeltown, Wellington. Mrs Florence Staples, aged 46, wife of Mr Staples. Miss Frances Carnegie, aged 22, daughter of Mr David Carnegie, of 98 Farnham Street, Mornington, Wellington. Injured Mr Arthur Staples, aged 24, tram car body builder, son of Mr and Mrs Staples, head and arm injuries ; condition not serious. Miss Myra Clark, aged 16, daughter of Mr Joseph Clark, of Te Puke, shock and minor abrasions condition not serious. Miss Natalie Clark, aged 18, sister of Miss Myra Clark, concussion, broken nose and shock ; condition not serious. Mr Lewis Appleton, aged 24, single, carrying contractor, of Pongakawa, fractured right arm and abrasions ; condition not serious. • Mr Charles Henry Keid, aged 25, lorry driver, Of Matata, son of Mr and Mrs C. H. Reid, of 124 Bassett Road, Remuera, abrasions to the face. ■_

With their son and his fiancee, Mr and Mrs Staples had been spending a motoring holiday in Rotorua and Auckland and were on their way back to Wellington. They occupied a light four-seater car driven by Mr Arthur Staples, who had Miss Carnegie alongside him in the front seat. . The other car, which was bought on Saturday morning by Mr Appleton and was being driven by him, was a heavy three-seater coupe. The Misses Clark fan d Mr Reid accompanied Mr Appleton. Mr Staples’ car had reached the southern end of what is known as the Ohinewai straight and was at a corner where a side road crosses the railway line, when Mr Appleton’s car came round a slight bend from the opposite direction. A Passenger Killed Instantly

The cars collided with a terrific impact. The small car had its front right-hand wheel twisted at right-angles to the axle and the body work on the same side was sliced away. The front portion of the larger car was considerably damaged, and the right hand wheel was torn off and the wind-screen shattered.

A windscreen support of the small car pierced Miss Carnegie’s head and she was killed instantly. The others in the collision received medical attention from two doctors and two nurses and were then taken to the Waikato Hospital by St. John ambulances. Mr. and Mrs. Staples died within half an hour of each other earlv on Sunday morning.