SEQUEL TO JOYRIDE.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 18047, 16 June 1930, Page 7

SEQUEL TO JOYRIDE.

YOUNG FARMER’S ‘ DEATH.

MOTOR SWASH AT NEWSTEAD

DANGEROUS DRIVING FOUND

ARREST OF HECTOR SHAW.

, The circumstances 'surrounding the death of Thomas Dartdn Shaw, the young farmer of Tauwhare who was / killed in a motor accident at Newstead on the evening of May 8,- were investigated by the Coroner, Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., at Hamilton this morning. Deceased was an occupant of a car driven by Hector Shaw, which collided with another car driven by L. H. Monteith, farmer, Eureka. Thomas Shaw was thrown out of the .vehicle,, and died in hospital some hours later, and Winifred Randle, aged 19 years, another passenger, was seriously in- * jured but has since; recovered. * Dr. H. C. Barrett, of the Waikato . Hospital staff, said deceased was admitted to hospital about 10 p.m. on May 8 in an unconscious condition. He was suffering from a severe laceration of the brain with inter-cranial bleeding. His condition improved slightly, but at midnight he commenced sinking and he died at 3.45 a.m. Winifred Randall, aged 19, deposed that at the time of the accident she was living at Matangi and ,on the night of May 8 deceased called to take her for a drive in Hector Shaw’s car. They arrived at the Newstead Hall where there was a dance about 8 p.m. Hector Shaw was driving the car and remained at the dance for about an hour and then drove away again with three other men and herself,. Hector Shaw remained at the wheel and she understood it was his intention to go to. Hamilton. Six In the Car. There were six of them in the car at the time of the accident, which occurred after the car had been going for 5 or 10 minutes. She took no notice of the car'that hit them until . it was alongside as she thought il would pass. There were headlights on the approaching car. Their- car was travelling well on the crown of the road. { Continuing, witness said she was sitting between deceased, and Tim Brown in the back of the car. Hector and Alec Shaw and a man named Turner were sitting in the front. She thought the back part of their car was struck by the other car but knew nothing of what happened. Shaw’s car was going at a “ fair rate bul she was in no way alarmed at the speed. She thought Shaw was driving too close to the other car when passing and was just going to say to him, “ That was a close shave.” After the smash she remembered somebody putting her in another car. Ernest Turner, farm labourer, Rototuna, stated that he was at the dance. He was not invited but “ pushed himself in.”, to Shaw’s car with the intenjtion of going to Hamilton for a drive. [\ The Coroner: Why did you get in .the car?—Oh, just to go for a drive.' Witness, continuing, said they met with the accident about half-a-mile down the road. Shaw’s car was - on the correct side and- the other car was travelling on the crest of the road. “Three Somersaults." “ Our car seemed to turn about three somersaults,” added witness,” ■i and finished up on the other side of the road on its wheels -but facing the op- - posite direction, to which it was proceeding.” Witness said he was not - alarmed at the speed Shaw was travelling, which he assessed at between 25 to 35 miles per hour. He was ' thrown out through the hood and went away after the accident. Charles -Henry Knott, farm hand, of ■ Newstead said he was about 200 yardk from the road when he saw Shaw’s car travelling fairly fast. It. then disappeared from sight. After he heard the crash he went inside the house and later went to view the scene of the accident.

Corroborative evidence was given by Charles Vaile, farm hand, who was talking to Knott when the crash was heard. On visiting the scene of the accident he noticed Monteith’s car was on the. letf hand side of the road and Shaw’s was on the other side facing Newstead Hall. James Keith Brown, assistant employed at the Eureka cheese factory, testified that he attended the dance and joined the party in Shaw’s car about 9.30. From the hall to the spot where the accident occurred they were travelling about 35 miles per hour. They could see the approaching car some distance away but lie did not sense danger till the lights on the driver’s side appeared to be going straight for each other.' Both cars were on the correct side of the road so far as he Could remember. He did not know how many times the car turned over but was aware of it somersaulting once after the impact. Randle' was hanging out of the back of the car and deceased was lying unconscious at the rear of the vehicle. Visibility was fair and there was no fog. No Comments Made, The owner and driver of the other car on the night of the accident, Leslie Hubert Monteith, said he left his farm at Eureka for Hamilton with hir brother. After football practice they were returning home when they collided with Shaw’s carl The righi hand front and side of his car struck the other vehicle, smashing both front wheels and denting the chassis. The front wheels of eacli car appeared to lock. Shaw’s car continued on for about a chain and then capsized. He could give no indication of the speed of Shaw’s car. Afterwards he saw Hector Shaw who made no comment as to the possible cause of the accident. Archibald Francis Monteith, brother of the previous witness', corroborated the latter’s statements. He did nol apprehend any danger i from the approaching car. He did think Shaw was a little too close to the wrong side of the road but he did not anticipate a collision. Driver’s Evidence. Hector John Shaw, farmer, Tauwhare, driver of the car in which deceased, his cousin, was a passenger, said the dance in Newstead was “ not much good ” and the party were going to Hamilton to see if there was another dance on. Senior' Sergeant. Sweeney read a statement made-to the police by witness who said the car belonged to his (Continued in next column.)

father. He saw the approaching car about 75 yards away. He was travelling at about' 20’ miles an hour and thought Monteith’s car would be going at the same pace. Both were on the correct side. There' \vas a bank of sand in the middle of the road, which w’as straight and‘wide where the accident occurred. Just before the cars wmre about to pass his rear vvheel skidded in the sand, causing the front wheels to swerve'-to the right. The car somersaulted and stopped after he had applied the footbrake, about 20 yards down the road. He had ‘had no liquor on the day of the accident.

James Bonham, motor mechanic who took a breakdown car to the scene, said Monteith’s car was well on the correct side. He gave evidence of the extent of the damage of tooth cars and added that Shaw’s car was found on the grass on' the same side of the road as the other car and facing towards Jvewstead. “Night Fairly Foggy.” In reply to Mr P. Harkness, who appeared on behalf of deceased’s father, witness said the night was fairly foggy, but car lights could be seen 100 yards' away. To another \ question, witness replied that the front seat of a Chevrolet car was not built for three passengers, but he did not think that that number would interfere with the driving.. Constable Andrew deposed that he visited the scene of the fatality later in the evening. A number of broken spokes lying on the road indicated the point of the impact. He took various measurements. Car Overloaded. The Coroner said the car driven by Hector Shaw was overloaded and was apparently being driven to Hamilton on some kind of joyride. He had no hesitation in finding that the driver, Hector Shaw, was driving at a high rate of speed as he passed the other vehicle. The road was 21ft. wide and there was ample room for both cars to pass on the proper side. Shaw himself admitted in a statement to the police that the other car was being driven on the correct side as it approached him and this statement was corroborated by other witnesses. Some witnesses said Shaw was on the crown of the road. Shaw attributed the accident to the car skidding and the forepart striking CYTonteith’s car. The Coroner considered that if the car did skid it was caused through Shaw’s.' high rate of speed. From the evidence, it looked as though a head-on collision had occurred. There was no 'evidence of any diminution of the speed of Shaw’s car as he travelled towards the other car on the‘ crown of the road. The Coroner found the death of Thomas Shaw was due to injuries to the head caused in a collision between two motor cars in one of which lie was a passenger and which was driven by Hector John Shaw. “I further find,” he added, “that Hector John Shaw drove the motor car at a speed dangerous to the public.” Hector Shaw has been placed under arrest on a charge of driving his car in sucli a manner as to cause the death of Thomas Shaw.