MOTOR FATALITY AT WAINUI

Wanganui Chronicle, 15 December 1949, Page 8

MOTOR FATALITY AT WAINUI

Evidence At Inquest A fatal motor accident which occurred on the main north road, near Turangaarere, on the night of August 27 and resulted in the death of George Patrick Johnson, employed by the State Hydro Department at Hihitahi, w as the subject of an inquest held before the acting coroner, Mr. W. Hudson, J.P-, and a jury of four at 'J’aihape on Wednesday morning. Johnson was killed when his motor truck ran off the road after the lights had failed and a passenger, H. Perot ini, was pinned by one arm for about three hours before being freed. He was admitted to the Wanganui hospital, where he remained until just recently. The jury, which returned a verdict of accidental death, no blame being attachable to anybody, consisted of Messrs A. M. Gordon, F. McSweeney, J. Niven and H. D. Bond. Sergeant A. Carlyon represented the police.

Patrick Francis Donovan, farmer residing al Opaea, Taihape, said that he attended a dance a Mrs. Jensen’s woolshed at Wainui, about three miles from Taihape on Saturday. August 27 and while at the function he \vas approached by deceased and 11. Peretini and told that Johnson could not get his motor truck to start and that it was likely to cause an obstruction on the road. He towed deceased's truck along the road and after being informed that everything was all right he returned to the dance. Johnson had told him that the lights on his truck were not too good. Some three hours later witness left the dance to return home and had proceeded only a short distance from Jensen s woolshed when he heard a very faint call for help come from the left, side of the road. Upon investigation he found Johnson’s motor truck over the bank. It had overturned and deceased was lying head downwards with his chin unner the steering wheel and some of the floor boards tightly pressed against his- chest. He was partly on his back with his head bent backwards and was unconscious and may have been dead. Witness was unable to extricate him. Peretini was pinned by one arm under the tray of the truck. When assistance arrived Peretini was freed and the deceased was extricated. Dr. White arrived and found that. Johnson was dead. He took Peretini away to hospital. Hoani Peretini, farmer residing at Turangaarere, near Taihape, said that he asked Johnson for a ride home and took a seat beside him in the motor truck. After travelling about, three miles the lights failed and they obtained assistance from Mr. P. F. Donovan. About three miles further along the road the lights failed again. The night was very dark and the vehicle ran off the road into a gully on the right-hand side.

“We were both pinned under the truck and could not extricate ourselves. Shortly after the truck turned ever and pinned us down, Ihe deceased said ‘l’ve had it.’ I tool: this to mean tna' lie was fatally injured. He did rot sneak again.” I v/.ts continuallv calling for help, and after about three hours Mr. Donovan arrived and, with assistance, released me from under the truck. As a result of my injuries I was a patient in the Wanganui Hospital till December 6,” he remarked. Dr. A. N. White said that when he arrived at the scene of the accident Johnson was dead. He later made a close examination of him at. the mortuary at Taihape and the only sign of injury was a small mark on the chest, which coincided \vith the nut on the steering column. Tie was of the opinion that deceased died from asphyxia due to crushing of the chest.. When he first examined deceased at the scene of the accident at 1.45 a.m. on August 28 he estimated that Johnson had been dead between three and four hours.

Constable C. Chesnutt gave evidence regarding the wheel marks on the road at the scene of the accident. The motor truck had travelled a distance of 53 feet on the wrong side of the road before the right-hand wheels ran on to the grass. It then travelled a further 23 feet before the loft wheels went off the roadwav proper, and another 38 feet along the sloping side of the bank before turning over. The vehicle was completely upside down. It was an old truck that had been off the road for some considerable time. It carried no warrant, of fitness and Johnson had /purchased it the day before the accident. He held a driver's licence. The acting coroner remarked that there appeared to be no doubt as to the cause of the accident. It was obvious that the truck was not in the best of condition, he said. The jury returned a verdict, that deceased, George Patrick Johnson, died at Wainui on August 27, the cause of death being multiple injuries received when a motor truck he was driving ran off the road and overturned.