FATAL MOTORING ACCIDENT.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15037, 4 August 1914, Page 7

FATAL MOTORING ACCIDENT.

MrR. Blunden, who was injorw! in » motor accident near tlie Springbank railway station on Saturday ©vening, collapsed and died suddenly of'heart failure at.11.30' a.m. yesterday. Mr Blundon was 64 years of age, and at tlio timo of tbe accident be was, along with others, motoring from Rangiora. When near tho Springbank railway star, tion the motor-car collided with a port on the corner of tho road, but how tho accident happened is not clear. Mr Blundeu was the feoond son of Dr. Blunden, of Melbourne, and cam© to Now Zealand in 18/4, and was farming at Cust in partnership with Mr W. F, Leach. Deceased took an active part in district matters, and had been* director of the New Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Association since 1*592.- In cricket and hunting ho took a keen-in-terest, also in tho affairs of the local ■V and P. Societies, and tho Ashley County Association... Deceased, who married Mrs J. P. Murphy, _leaves a family of four sons and ono daugntar.

THE INQUEST. Mr T. A. B. Bailey, District Coroner, held an inquest on tho body oi : Mr Blunden at tho Brockenhurst private hospital at '.P o'clock last evening. Mr A. C. D. Van Asch watched the proceedings on behalt of Leonard W. Blunden, son of deceased, who was driving tho car. Leonard "Walter Biunden stated that ho w-u- the third son of deceased. On Saturday ho was with his father in Christchurch, and left at about 5.30 p.m. Thoy stopped at Rangiora for a short while, and wont to tho Junction Hotel. Tho car was a 32-h.p.; Hupmobile. with a two-seater hotly. It waa in good order ar.d running all right. Ho"left K-angiora at about 7.18 p.m. Ho travelled at about 25 to. 30 miles por hour. Ho had two acetylene headlights in good, order. When ho got to tho water-race just beyond Springbank ho slowed down to cross tho culvert over tho rae*) on tho left-hand side of tbo road. He had been frequently over tbo culvert. When ho crossed tho culvert, the ear struck a telegraph post ou the side of tho road just beyond the culvert. The crossing was a very awkward one, with two short turns — one going on and the other off the culvert. Thero was. somo looso shingle on tha approach, wliich probably caused tho car to swerve a little. When crossing the culvert he van always careful ; to watch on the inside—tho side next thf- ■ centre of tlio road—-to make sure .of tho wheels being on the.culvert. Tho culvert was not very. wide and there was a danger of running off on tho other side, as it was bankod up to the fence. When he wa*- - satisfied that it. was safe to turn in towards the centre of -the road again ho did so,'-but. the noxt. thing ho knew was that, tho car .had struck the telegraph post. Ho did not know what part* of the car first struck tho post, probably tho tyre of tho wheel. Tlie effect of ihe impact was to swing 'round, the body of the car, . and the running board and tho back of tho front niiidgear on tho lefthand 6ido struck tho post and . were

smatdied. His father, tho only.; other occupant of ihe car, who waa sitting on tho left-hand eido, . was apparently jerkod forwards and sidcway.. with, the force of the impact, and his forehead struck the post. . Witness stopped -the engine after tho impact, and tsaw that his fat-ier was unconscious:. 7 To the Polico: They were., both, ab-' Eoluieb" sober ' '•-..'..-■ In reply to Mr. Van Asch, jvitness said he had "two "pony"- beers at tlio Junction Hotel. Ho was used to; driving a motor-car. Ho was travelling at about 25 to 30 miles an hour only on the good parts of tho road. Ho 6"ldwed down at several bad places on* the-it>ad; When ajiprpaching the culvert he slow-. Ed right down. The near wbeeV'ti-ack travelling towards Cust was 3ft b"in from the fence, and the telegraph, pole "was ■< 3ft from the, fence,;and 30ft from' tho centre of the,, culvert. The drop from the 7 culvert to the bed ot the road was 20in. One approached tho culvert at • one anglo and laft it at another. A car running in; the track would; if "it continued, in a. straight line parallel to the fence, just graze the pole; and if it continued at tho approacning, adgie for a particle ,of a second r too long would strik©7 the. pod; headon. Ho waa anxiously watching,to avoid the drop into the race, an<Tapparently continued at the* approaching angle a little too long. He had heard of others who in "daylight had (had harrow escapes from colliding with the pole. ; To the Cororter: After the. accident ho • tried to bring his . father back *to consciousness, and succeeded in- doinjg so to a slight degree. He then drdyo back to Springbank. ,and rang up Ih*. Will, at Rangiora. He was not in, and hb then rang up Dr.-Burnett. He,took hi.** father into the telephonist's" house, and waited there till Dr. Burnett arrived. l>r. Burnett 6tated tbat in responseto a telephono message he went.to Springbank about 8.30 p.m. on Saturday. He found deceased with a woiitod ot. the forehead, and a fracture of the skull in the middle of the forehead run-

ning downwards towards tho root of tho nose. .Tho.bone on tho*inner side was slightly depressed. There was considerable bruising about tho ey as, and deceased was swallowing fairly rapidly, which showed he was bleeding-through tho nose. He was in a condition of concussion, and- semi-conscious. Witness dressed the wound and took him and his son to the privato hospital at Rangiora. Witness handed him over to Drs. Will and Acland at about 12.30 a.m. on Sunday. He again saw deceased at about 11.30 a.m. .that day {yesterday), and found him completely unconscious, and in a dying condition, and ho* died shortly afterwards. Tho cause of death was compression of tho brain as the result of h-emorrhagc. To Mr Van Asch: Witness 6aw -.Mr Len. Blunden. He was absolutely sober. He lent a hand in dressing his father's wound. Witness knew the spot where the accident happened well, and always thought it dangerous. A slight error of judgment on tbe driver's part might lead to a similar accident. i Dr. T. A. Will stated that he took charge of the patient from Drs. Acland ar.d Burnett at a little after midnight on Saturday, and attended him until about 11 a.m.-on Monday. He quite agreed with the evidence given oy Dr; Burnett as to the causo of death. Mr Blunden* was conscious and spoke to him at about 8.30 a.m. on the morning ofhi» death. To Mr Van Asch: Witness knew th©. culvert well, and considered it a dangerous crossing. Thero was -a; "pothole" in the track of. the inside wheel, i.e.. the wheel nearest the road, and in attempting to avoid it lately in.daylight he had a narrow escape from Tunning into the post. Anyone driving by night and watching the drop, and.next kr owing the position 6f the telegrap*. pole, might easily come in collision wit* it Deceased when conscious made ne complaint as to the negligence of the driver. The Coroner returned a verdict at accidental" death, without any blame being attachable to Mr L. Blunden. "