NEARLY A TRAGEDY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 15, 24 May 1939, Page 4

NEARLY A TRAGEDY

MAORI'S AMAZING ESCAPE

TE TEKO TRAFFIC FIASCp

DRUNKEN DRIVER! ARRESTED

William Nathan, motor driver, Edgecumbe, employed by Mr T. Anderson, cartage contractor, was arrested last night and will appear in the Whakatane Police Court chis morning on a charge of intoxication while in charge of a motor vehicle* The circumstances surrounding the alleged offence are rather unusual. It is stated that about 5.45 p.m. the driver of the R.M. service car saw a figure lying on the road about a mile on the Rotorua side of the Tara wera bridge. He avoided it and pulled up a few yards past the object. He went back % accompanied by the district Plunket Nurse, Miss Strachan and found that it was a Maori. While they were investigating a truck is alleged to have swung round the corner at a fast rate of speed, and it is said that it passed over the unconscious man, carried on, and struck the R.M. car before coming to a stop. The R.M. car was little damaged, but it is alleged that the driver and the nurse had to jump aside quickly to avoid being run. down. The man who had been run over j appeared to be dead, and Mr Davis, | the R.M. driver, rang up Whaka-1 tane and reported the matter. Constables H. Hedley and F. Fuller went out accompanied by Dr Grigor, but when they arrived at the sccne the mam had revived and was quite lively. He was suffering from slight concussion and abrasions, and it was decided to take him in to the Whaj ka.tane Hospital where he is a,t present a patient. His name is Jimmie Tarutuku, of Te Teko. He was a passenger on a truck travelling into Te Teko, and it is believed he was knocked unconscious when he fell off the back. Apoarently the second truck passed over him without touching him. Othe^ 1 passengers in Nathan's truck" were Tuti Raheke and Raimona Paraha. An extraordinary feature of the accident was that, another Maori was found lying by the side of the road in a drunken condition. The police unable to discover whether he had fallen ofF the lorry at the same time as Tarutuku did. whether he came from Nathan's truck, or whether he was unconnected with the accident.