News From the Country RAETIHI

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 144, 19 June 1936, Page 3

News From the Country

RAETIHI

MOTOR COLLISION. DEFECTIVE BRAKES. INQUEST CONCLUDED. At the Courthouse, Ohakune, on Monday, the inquest concerning the death of William McDonnell was concluded by Mr. V’. ]£. Sandford, district coroner. The inquest was opened at Raetihi, when the uncle of the deceased gave evidence to the effect that his nephew was 21 years of age, and his sight and hearing were quite normal. At the adjourned hearing Mr. Ongley appeared to advise the relatives of the deceased and Sergt. Mcßae appeared for the police. Charles Arthur Brutton Kenderdine I stated that he was a foreman employed at the State Forestry Department at Karioi. On Saturday, May 16, he was driving a small motor-truck from the nursery across the main Ohakune-Tai-hape road. At about 8 a.m. he was coming out of one private entrance to go in another across the road. He was travelling about six miles an hour. On approaching the road he did not sound his horn as he knew it could not be heard owing to the noise of a motor ’ that was working a grindstone. The ’ ground at the crossing is level but rises ' from the Ohakune side. A bank • obscured his view somewhat of the main road. Before crossing the road he looked to his right and left, and again to his right as he was crossing ’ and he caught a glimpse of a motor- 1 cycle approaching about ten feet on his : right. The motor-cycle appeared to be 1 in the centre of the road. Witness 1 immediately accelerated but the driver ' c" the motor-cycle, as far as he could see, did not swerve but came straight ' on and collided with the motor-lorry. The cycle struck the rear end of the ! right mudguard of the truck. He noticed a pillion rider as well as the « driver. The cycle was travelling fast, 1 but he would not care to put an t estimate on the speed. On the impact 1 the back of the truck was lifted off the ground and carried sideways about 1 four feet. Both men were thrown on J to the road and he immediately went < to their assistance. He did not know ; either of the men. The pillion rider was unconscious but the driver of the - cycle got up and spoke and showed | him a bruise on his right side of the s abdomen. He communicated with the police and the doctor at Ohakune, who « ordered the two men to the Kaetihi < Hospital. Witness had been driving for about 14 years. He considered he : took every reasonable precaution on . approaching the road as he knew there 1 was likely to be traffic. He was there < when the police arrived and assisted in i the taking of measurements. He s examined the motor-cycle and found J that the front mudguard was badly ; bent and the front forks slightly bent, ; the horn was not connected up and the rear brake was decidedly ineffective. This brake was in such a state that it was impossible to stop the machine within a reasonable distance. The damage to the truck was slight. The i man was taken to the hospital about < threequarters of an hour after the ] accident. The deceased asked him to < lift the cycle off the road and asked if it was much damaged. He took the motor off the road and told deceased it did not appear to be much damaged. Deceased told him he was on his way to Taihape. There was about eight feet of clear road behind the truck when the impact occurred and he would say that the cycle could have swerved and missed the truck. To Mr. Ongley: He was driving through an avenue of trees which were planted up to the road boundary. To the Coroner: The truck had a warning device. He examined the marks on the road and they showed that the motor-cycle crossed a bridge ' about two chains from the forestry entrance on the wrong side of the i-»ad. The marks of the cycle showed that he was slowly crossing to the correct side and at the point of impact the cycle was one foot to the left of the centre of the road. The motorcycle did not sound any warning. Brett Alontella. a labourer at the State Forestry, Karioi, said he was in the motor-truck at the time of the accident. The driver did not sound his horn but looked to the right and then to the left and again to the right and witness looked to the left as that was his side of the truck. On looking to the right the second time the driver put his foot on the accelerator and this caused the witness to look to the right and he saw’ a motor-cycle approaching. It was travelling very fast about the centre of the road. A collision took place almost instantaneously. The motor-lorry was travelling very slowly—not more than a walking pace. The*back of the lorry was tilted so much that he thought it was going to tip over. He was thrown across the truck by the impact and on looking out of the rear window he saw the motorcycle on its side and the driver across the handle bars and the pillion rider seemed to be sliding off the back of the driver of the cycle. To Mr. Ongley: The truck driver pulled up immediately and the only movement was the truck being turned round by the impact. To Sergt. Mcßae: The road crossing was level, but owing to the bank the view would be obscured beyond a chain distance. Dr. W. J. Feltham gave particulars of the injuries when the two men were admitted to the Raetihi Hospital. Daniel Davis, a labourer at the State Forestry, was lifting pine needles amongst the trees at the time of the a< cident and he got over the fence and helped to carry the men to the office. Lionel Heber Bailey, forest ranger at the State Farm, Karioi, was about 50 yards away and did not see the accident 1 was advised of the occurrence and went to the place. The deceased appeared not to be badly injured and walked out and had a look at the motor-cycle. The deceased said he endeavoured to dodge but could not quite do so. On his return after taking the men to the hospital, iu company with, the constable, he examined the marks on the road and the motorcycle. The horn was disconnected and had been prior to the accident. The front brake was also disconnected, there being no control cables on at all. The back brake was useless and when the pedal was pressed down the wheel could still be turned. The front fork Lad signs of a fracture, the front mudguard was bent and the handlebar was

bent upwards. He took note of the position and made a plan which he handed in. From the road boundary the truck driver would have a clear view of about two and a-half chains and the motor-cycle driver would be able to see the lorry as it came on the road from a distance of at least two chains. Constable J. H. Beaton, stationed al Taihape but relieving at Ohakune on the day of the accident, gave particulars about measurements he took at the scene of the accident. There would be nine feet clear at the back of the truck for the motor-cycle to pass. The truck had been spun round more than a righ angle by the force of the impact. Constable Chesnutt gave evidence of making inquiries and learning that the deceased had not received a motordriver’s licence for the year ending ATay 31, 1936, from either the Raetihi Borough or the Waimarino County Council. The father of the deceased, who was riding pillion at the time of the accident, had no recollection of the ; incident, his memory being a blank. , The doctor cannot give any indication | when, if eve- he will recovery his > memory. Francis AlcDonnell, a brother of the deceased, visited him in th hospital. The deceased said lie was travelling at the rate of from 25 to 30 miles an hour and that the motor-lorry shot across the main road. He tried to dodge it but he was too qlose to do so. Witness owned the cycle at one time and sold it about three months ago. As far as he knew his brother did not hold a driver’s licence. His father, who w: s now at home, does not remember anything of the accident and the doctor says he is likely to remain so. Neville H. Slosen, of Raetihi, said he knew the deceased who borrowed his bicycle to go to Taihape. The motorcycle was in good running order but the front brake was disconnected, the horn was also disconnected and not capable of making a noise of any kind; there was no foot-rest for a pillion I rider. It was a twin cylinder HarleyDavidson 7-9 horse-power, 1928 model. The .coroner returned the following verdict: That William AlcDonnell died on Alay 22, 1936, at the Raetihi Hospital from injuries received when the motor-cycle which he was riding collidexl with a motor-truck on the main road froj’ Ohakune to Taihape at the State Forest entrance, Karioi.