ANOTHER RAILWAY ACCIDENT

Waikato Argus, Volume XXXV, Issue 5620, 28 May 1914, Page 2

ANOTHER RAILWAY ACCIDENT

WOMAN KILLED. CHILD SERIOUSLY INJURED. Bv Telegraph. - Press Association. Auckland Thursday. A sad fatality occurred at the Otahuhu railway station at about 6 p.m. yesterday, Annie Aquilla Aukett, aged 56 years, wife of Alfred Aukett, a storekeeper, living in the Great South Road, Otahuhu, losing her life through falling beneath a train, and her granddaughter, Dorothy Thelma Aukett, a child of three years, being so seriously injured that there is little or no hope of her recovery.

The train in connection with which the fatality occurred was the Main Trunk express from Wellington, ordinarily due at Auckland at 4.12 p.m. It was running late owing to the disorganisation in the service caused by the accident at Whangamarino in the morning. Mrs AuKett and her grandchild, accompanied, it in believed, by the latter's mother, Mrs Aukett, jun., wife of Charles Henry Aukett, a porter at the Otahuhu station, were passengers by the express from Frankton, being on a holiday visit to Hamilton. The express stopped at Otahuhu for about two minutes. Just as it was tbout to start again the two women appear to have realised that they were at their destination.

The younger woman is reported to have stepped out on to the station platform safely, but her mother-in-law was some seconds in following her, and by the time she prepared to leave the train with the child in her arms, it was in motion, and had as a matter of fact, proceeded several yards. Mrs Aukett, sen., was evidently unaware of the fact, it being dark at the time, and the momentum of the train being so slight as to deceive her into thinking it was still stationary. Directly she stepped olf the train she was tvvislfcd round, and fell with her granddaughter between the train and platform. An outcry was raised by eye-wit-nesses of the accident on the station, and the train was brought to a standstill, but not before five or six of the wheels had passed over the unfortunate woman and the child. Stretchers were immediately obtained, and an Otfhuhu doctor was summoned by telephone. After he had rendered first aid, the injured woman and child were placed in the gunrd's van in the care of the guard, Mr Burt, who had charge ot the train, and Mr Angus Kobs, a guard who, though on holiday, leave, happened to be on the express. After a delay of about twenty minutes the express came on to Auckland.

From the station Mrs Aukett, senr., was taken to the hospital in the ambulance, Mr Kosa taking the little girl to the same institution in a taxi-cab. The woman expired on the way. Both her legs had been run over, and her arm was broken, and she had also sustained injuries to her head and face. The child had both her feet cut oil above the ankles, and was in a very precarious condition when she was admitted to the hospital, and very little hope of her recovery was entertained late last night. Mr Aukett, the fathei of the child, who was expecting his mother, his wife, and their daughter back from Hamilton, was not on duty at the time of the fatality, nor was he there to meet his family, as the hour of the train's arrival was uncertain. He, however, reached the station shortly after the express had left for Auckland, and was apprised of what had happened. He was also

informed that his wife had gone on by the train with hei mother-in-law and daughter.

Aukett proceeded with all despatch

to the hospital. His mental distress at finding his mother dead and his

child in so grievous a condition was accentuated by the fact that he could obtain no tidings of his wife's whereabouts. All he could ascertain

was that on the journey to Auckland she had fainted, and that unknown friends had taken charge of her. Up to a late hour last night news of his wife, who is only '2l years old, had not reached the husband.

An inquest into the circumstances of the death of the deceased woman will be held today.