CROSSING FATALITY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16904, 1 December 1922, Page 9

CROSSING FATALITY.

INQUEST ON FATHER AND SON. The adjourned inquest concerning the j deaths of Daniel Sinclair, who was killed in a collision between the feoutn express and his motor-car on November 20 and of his son John Galloway Sinclair, who subsequently died of injuries received iu the accident, "as held last night by the Coroner, Mr H. Y. Widdowsoii. Mr Sinclair, who was forty-nine years of age, was an engineer and also a prominent musician, jjis son was a single man, twenty-four years of age, and an accountant byj profession. Both resided, at 17, Ayr Street, .Gower lticearton. The accident occurred at the Cutler’s Road railway crossing. Sergent D. Stewart conducted proceedings. Mr -X. B. Batchelor appeared for the widow, and the Railway Department vas represented by Mr A. C. Truman, traffic inspector. Dr A. B. Pearson, pathologist at the Christchurch Hospital, who made the post-mortem examination of the body of the son. said that death was due to shook and hcemorrhage following on abdominal injuries. Dr Donald Currie said at 5.45 p.m. he was called to the Christchurch Railway Station, svhere he examined the body of Daniel Sinclair. Life was extinct. Describing tho injuries of deceased. witness said that, the skull was badly crushed, and death must have been practically instantaneous. Dr M. Bo van Brown, house surgeon at the Christchurch Hospital, stated that John Galloway Sinclair was admitted to the institution on the evening of November 20. He was then unconscious and suffering severely from shock and concussion. At that time there was no question of operative interference, chiefly on account of his serious condition. His condition became steadily Averse, and he died at 4 am. on November 21. An operation suggested on the evening of the 20th but was rejected, as the patient won Id probably not have lived throusli it. ' * To the Coroner: Nothing could have been done for him. His life could not have been saved by any medical or surgical meu stores. Leslie v\ iiliam Richard Thomas, storekeeper residing at the Sunny side Mental Hospital, said he knew 'both victims. They had called at the Mental Hospital shortly before the accident, to see him. Witness lent the son a cabinet gramophone which was put in the back of the car. When the deceased started, the son was sitting directly behind the driver of the the gramophone was leaning against the back of the front seat. Daniel Sinclair was at the wheel of the .car. which had a right hand drive. The Coroner: Mould the gramophone obscure the son’s view?—Possibly. To Sergeant Stewart: Witness was aware that the son was almost blind. His hearing was quite good. The father’s hearing and sight Mere both good. The Coroner: Did deceased seem to be in good health?—He had not been at wofk that day.' Tie. said be was not feeling too bright, and so he did not go. Sergeant Stewart : He was not a man who took any liquor?—Not to my knowledge. Witness said lie knew the Cutler’s Road crossing and there was nothing to -obscure the view of a train coming from the south. Mr Truman: What length of time had he been driving a car?—l believe about three years. Did he hold a car driver's certificate? —I oould not say. To the Coroner: They left at about three minutes to five by the back road. Mr Batchelor: Do you know that there are several large trees that obscure the view of the crossing?—No. The line is clear of trees for about three hundred yards. Duncan M’Neil, ilie driver of the ex press, i-aid he was timed to arrive in Christchurch at 5.8 p.m. The xvhistle was sounded at the usual distance from the Cutler’s Road crossing. x The train

was travelling at-from forty-five to fifty miles per hour. He continued to hloAv the whistle- until he was 100 yards from the crossing. The motor-car was being driven at from thirty to thirtyfive miles per hour. When a collision seemed inevitable witness put tho brakes into emergency. 'Hie driver of the car did not appear to notice the train. ‘‘ ] consider Cutler’s Road to be one of ill© safest crossings on the Main South line,” said witness. Ihe Coroner : I'hose trees are about 300 yards drown the line, aren’t they?— Yes, about that distance. Where were you when you first saw the oar?— L was passing the trees. 1 ax; as blowing the whistle xvlien 1 caught : sight of the car, and I continued to j sound it. | After you/passed the trees, how many times did you sound it?—When I saw | the driver did not slacken speed, T i again sounded the whistle. 1 How far wore you from the crossing when you sounded ’it the last time?— When I was about forty to fifty yards He stdl came on at the same speed? Witness said he had put the brakes into emergency ; lie had given them the full power. lie struck the ear n few seconds after the brake was applied. The driver seemed to notice the train when lie was fully a chain from the crossing. Tho Coroner: He still came on?—Yes, he seemed to increase his speed. I thought he intended to get clear, as ho did not think he had time to pull «P. Where did you strike tho car?—Full amidships. The train, witness stated, was pulled up in about 350 .yards. He could not have pulled up any sooner. Considering the rate at which he was travelling and the length of the train, he thought he made a good stop. He saw nothing of the men being thrown out. as it was impossible to see for the dust. The train might fare been two minutes late The Coroner: Not more?—No. Air Truman: On account of being late, would you be running faster than usual?--No; not so .hard ns sometimes. Witness- said there were fifteen carriages in the train, and the weight, without including the engine, which weighed eighty-tour eons, would be about 310 tons. To Mr Batchelor: The whistle xvas sounded the regulation distance (30) yards) . from the crossing. It avas nob correct that lie hail sounded the whistle after the accident. At the rate the train was travelling it was impossible to pull it up in its own length. Steam Avas cut off at about 600 yards before the collision. The train was nof running at the maximum speed of fiftvmiles per hour. Witness had been driving over the south line for about j eight years. The Coroner: Have you had ahy j accident similar to this?—Yes, one. ! Where was that P—At Studholme > Junction. j How long ago was that?—About five months ago To Mr Batchelor s I applied the brakes two or throe engine lengths before the crossing. Alexander William M J Nickel; the guard on the train, said that it was one minute Tate at Hornby. 1 He, was' | A

iuaid© the van when the brakes we 1 "© applied. When the train came to a

| standstill he went, back and saw that j | a man was lying on the side of the j • line and that there' was another naan j on the other side. He signalled to the 1 j driver to bring the train back. When j the. engine was cleared of motor parts the men were brought on to Cliristj church. The tail-end of the train . stopped about sixty yards from the . crossing. The train waited there from ' o*4 p*m. to 5.20 p.m. i . Alexander Borland, gardener, resi.T----j ing at Martin’s Road. Hillmorfcen, said j he vras on his way home when he saw : a motor-car travelling on its wrong ; side ot the toad toward* the Cutler's Road crossing. In his opinion it was travelling too fast. He heard th engine whistle several times, and afterAvards heard a smash. Ho did not sec 1 the collision. He was satisfied the ©nginedriver was not to blame. Tf the ’ driver of the car had been on the cor- ; rect side of the road, and if be had i kept a good look-out, lie should have | seen the train approaching. The Coroner Tho country, there is i pretty open, isn’t it?—Y'es. XT iiliam .Eustace AVhitcombe. a passenger on 'the express, said he was looking out of the window when the tmm Avas approaching Cutler’s Road. He noticed a motor-car coming from the south-east towards the line, ana travelling at about twenty-live miles %>d hour on its Avrong side. Th© driver •seemed to be talking to someone behind him. Witness considered that if the driver had been keeping a good lookout, he should have seen the train approaching. Th© Coroner: Did tli© car appear to slacken speed before the accident?—l don’t think so. Iho driver did not appear to turn round?- - Re was leaning back slightly, Avith his head inclined to his right shoulder. To Mr Truman: I beard the brakes go on before the smash. The Coroner : The brake was put on very hard ?—Yes, very hard: the dus* fie\\' up as if the rails xrero tom up. Mr Batchelor: You didn’t hoar th© xvhistle sound?—No. 1 might have : been preoccupied. ' Mit ness said he was so accustomed | to train journeying that he- took no notice of. whistles. Leonard Heelling, motor engineer and garage proprietor, said the ear had apparently been in good condition mechanically before the accident. Carl Robert GaTard, fireman on the express, corroborated the evidence of the driver. Constable N. Gordon gave evidence as to the scene of the accident and the position of the car after the collision. The Coroner recalled the driver of the train, and asked him what was his experience with motor-car drix-ers. “ I find the majority of them take no precautions whatever when crossing the line,” said the witness. The Coronev: Do they, cause you much anxiety*?—Yes, they do. Many ot them don’t seem to take the slightest notice of the whistle, hut try to get over before the train. They don’t look to the right or to the left. ‘ In the first, place,” said the Coroner, .**•! wish to extend my sine ere si sympathy to the relatives of the deceased.” Tt appeared, that the father and son had gone to the Alental Hospital to get a gramophone, which they intended to take home to Riccarton. Unfortunately the younger man was suffering from had eyesight, and the position of the gramophone in the car ivas a partial obstruction to his view of anything on his left side. He ivas sitting in the back seat, holding the machine. Both father and son had good hearing. The express had been running only two minutes late. If the train had been materially late th© people might have supposed that it had already gone. There xvas nothing to obstruct their view of the crossing except some trees, which were 280 yards down the line. They could see a very long way down the line, and he could not quite understand why they had not heard the whistle. “ l can only find that no blame xvhatever is attaching to the driver.,” said th© Coroner. “ T don’t xvant to say any- - thing that would add to the sorrow ot the relatives of the deceased; I don’t know what was in their minds, but at auy rat© they did not attempt to pull up to avoid the accident. They seemed to increase speed to get past before tho- engine. They were too late, and the result >x*as fatal.'’ He returned a verdict in accordance xx'ith the medical testimony. In a rider he said he wished to emphasise what the engine-driver had said regarding motor cars. ‘ : Apparently m great many cases,’* he weq£ on. “drivers disregard trains, and endeavour (and usually succeed) to get> across in front. It is unnecessary for anyone to point out) the danger of the proceeding. This at any rate should be an example and a warning to sucii people. Car drivers should remember tho strain and stress that tails on engine-drivers; they have a very stenons duty to perform; their work is very arduous', and the strain is very great, j They have to be taken off some trams after a time and put on slower ones, in order to recuperate. I hop© that this xvill he some warning to people, and that it will help the engine-drivers in the discharge of their duties.