NGARUAWAHIA FATALITY.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15999, 30 May 1924, Page 8

NGARUAWAHIA FATALITY.

MRS STEVENS' DEATH. CORONER'S INQUIRY. ' ] 1 UNDIMMED MOTOR LIGHTS. The adjourned inquest into the circumstances connected with the death of Mrs Evelyn Grace Stevens, a widow, aged 34, who was killed by being knocked down by a motor car driven by Dr. Douglas Martin, in Ngaruawahia on May 17, was held before Mr H. A. Young, Coroner, at Ngaruawahia yesterday. Detective F. Cullofy conducted the ease for the police, Mr 11. E. Northcroft represented Dr. Martin, Mr P. Feeney for relatives of deceased, Mr J. ilo'ben for the children, Mr D. .1. Lundon for Mr J. T. Douce, driver of the second car concerned. Charles McCowan, a motor mechanic, said that on the evening of the accident he spoke to deceased at the railway station. She was then in good health! Dr. Martin's car was the latest model Buick. and was equipped with four wheel brakes. When travelling at 12 miles per hour it could be stopped within 15 to 20 feet. Walter Wilson said he witnessed the accident. When he saw deceased first she was six feet in front of Dr. Martin's car. She was carried 15 feet by the car. Witness went to her assistance and found her lying unconscious. From measurements he had taken it appeared that Dr. Martin's car had travelled 159 feet. He did not take measurements immediately after the accident. There was no other traffic on the road at the time of the accident except the two cars concerned. . Dazzling Headlights. John Marshall deposed that he saw Dbuce's car approaching with dazzling headlights burning. He also saw Dr. Martin's car being driven into Ngaruawahia. He heard the collision and noticed that Dr. Martin's car travelled some distance after the collision before it stopped. Douce's car was travelling at about 15 miles per hour. Witness was standing within 50 yards of the scene of the accident. The' distance between the point where deceased's body was found and the point where Dr. Martin's car stopped, was 115 feetFrederick Stephen Bignall said his attention was drawn to Douce's car, which had bright lights. He heard Dr. Martin's car strike deceased. He considered Dr. Martin could have pulled up his car sooner than he did. To the Bench: The dazzling lights 'of Douce's car would have affected Dr. Martin's vision. He would not have been able to see deceased on the road. Witness, who was a taxi-driver, said he also dimmed his lights and slowed up when approaching a car with dazzling headlights. If a car-driver could not see ahead he should stop, or should reduce speed to four or five miles per hour. To Mr Northcroft: Dr. Martin would have been able to sec immediately Douce had dimmed his lights. Dr.* Charles Skinner Willianis said he was asked by Dr. Martin to prepare deceased, who had not then died, for an operation. Witness described the injuries lo the head. Owing to deceased's low condition, it was decided not to operate. He was Dr. Martin's assistant. Dr Martin's Evidence. Dr. Douglas Martin, of Ngaruawahia, said he made a statement to Constable Wade, lie did not sign the statement. He declined lo answer whether the document produced was a copy of the statement made. It was against his own feelings not to give evidence, and it was on his counsel's advise that he refused to answer questions. To the Bench: His reason was that his answer might tend to incriminate him. To Mr. Hogben: Treatment of the patient was a matter of urgency. It did not occur to him to call in another doctor, for the issue was clear. A bone in the head had to be lifted immediately, or not at all. All the serious injuries were confined lo the head. Deceased died within two hours of. the accident. After relieving the patient he would have called in outside assistance. John George Whyte, an engineer employed at Horotiu, deposed that he ■ accompanied Dr. Martin from Horotiu | lo Ngaruawahia. As the car passed | the Ngaruawahia station Dr. Martin remarked on the dazzling headlights of an approaching car. He dimmed his headlights and slowed down to 10 or 12 miles an hour. It was impossible to see ahead in view of the blinding light of the other car. He saw deceased appear in front of the car immediately bcrore she was struck. Dr. Martin Jambed on the brakes and jumped out before the car stopped. No one could have done more than the doctor did in the circumstances. He considered the witness Wilson was wrong in saying that the car proceeded 151) feet before it pulled up after the accident, Dimmed for a Flash. James Thomas Douce, architect, of Cambridge, said he was driving a car through Ngaruawahia on the night of , the accident. He noticed Dr. Martin's car approaching in the opposite dircc- ! tion. The doctor's car lights were j then normal, and as the doctor did not dim his lights, witness left his lights burning. The doctor's lights were dimmed for a (lash. Witness then dimmed his also, but when the doctor's again became normal, witness switched his on again. Witness noticed the doctor's car give two jumps, | wtiich lie thought due lo (lie bad road, j He noticed people rushing across the road, and saw a body being carried ! into a shop. Witness stopped his car i and went to the shop, but the door was closed. He did not. consider himself in any way connected with the accident. Both cars had been running on'thcir correct sides of the road and were not going at more than 12 miles an hour. Witness said Dr. Marlins lights did not, affect him and witness' lights should not have" affected Dr. Martin's vision. Dr. Martin's lights might have been dimmed, bul they did not appear to be less than normal. In a new car the dimmed lights might si ill he as strong as the normal lights or an old car. Witness had treated, his wind-screen with apple juice and the rain had not obscured it. To Mr Lundon: When witness realised Dr Martin was not dimming his lights, witness switched his lights on again in accordance with the ae- ' customed practice among motorists. Moreover, people were crossing the road and it would not'have been wise | to have dimmed the lights. He rcported to the police immediately he saw the account of the accident in the paper and saw that the police wanted to get into touch with the driver of the car which passed Dr. Martin's car i at the lime of the accident. Constable F. Wade, of Ngarua- ' wahia, said he was on the scene of t the accident immediately after it hap--1 pened. He gave measurements and ' details showing the position of the ' «ar*. Witness read a statement made

to him by Dr. Martin, in which the doctor stated that his vision as he was passing Ngaruawahia was obscured by the dazzling headlights of a car passing in the opposite direction. He added that he reduced the speed of the car to 15 miles an hour. Suddenly a woman appeared immediately in front of the car and was struck by the car. He pulled up the car immediately and ran to the woman's assistance. Coroner's Finding. The Coroner said that on May 1? deceased died at Ngaruawahia as a result of injuries received by being struck with a motor car on the evening of that day. The evidence showed that deceased had been to the Ngaruawahia railway station, and intending to go to the Town Hall she walked in a northerly direction from the station along the left-hand side of the road. After she had proceeded some distance from the railway station, and while still making her way along the road lo the Town Hall she was knocked down by a car driven by Dr Martin and from injuries she then received she died. The doctor had not given evidence but he had made a statement to the police and he states that he did not see deceased before she was knocked down, and consequently he could not have avoided her nor did he swerve his car nor slow down. He says in his statement to the police that owing to the dazzling brilliancy of the lights of a car approaching in the opposite direction he could not see a yard in front of him. The evidence of a number of by-stan-d/;rs showed that two chains back from where the accident occurred the doctor had dimmed his lights and had kept them dimmed. The lights of dazzling brilliancy that the doctor had complained about were those of a motor car driven by Mr Douce. It was quite clear from the weight of evidence that Mr Douce had not dimmed his lights when coming along the Main South Road. The evidence of a taxi driver and others showed that these lights were of such dazzling brilliancy that they must have affected the vision of the doctor as mentioned by him in his statement to the police. The deceased evidently did not see or hear the doctor's car approaching, but simply went straight on and one bystander said that tier attention was taken up by the 1 icrlils of dazzling brilliancy coming from the opposite direction. These lights also prevented her from noticing the rays of light, coming from the doctor's car. The position was. the coroner continued, that the doctor had gone on with his lights dimmed for two chains back from, the place where the accident occurred. During this period he could not see ahead owing "to the dazzling brilliance of the lights of the other car. It seemed to the coroner that the doctor was not justified in proceeding along the two chains mentioned when he could not see ahead of him and when the other car driver had not within a reasonable time dimmed his lights. The scene was the main street of the borough and the time when passenger trains were "running and there might have been a number of people on the street. On the other hand, of course, Mr Douce should have dimmed his lights. The coroner said that the Lights on Vehicles Acts provided that the bright dazzling lights of motor cars must not be allowed to affect the vision of people using the highways. It was very likely that Mr Douce committed a breach of the Lights on Vehicles Act, in not dimming his lights. At all events that was a matter Tor the police to consider. It seemed to him that the accident in rruesfion was :lue to the reasons he had slated. Mr Douce, did not dim his lights, and. owing to this, the doctor could not. see, and as the doctor was not abln to see, he should have stopped his car.