HIGHWAY TRAGEDY SEQUEL

Chronicle (Levin), 15 June 1946, Page 7

HIGHWAY TRAGEDY SEQUEL

YOUTH CHARGED IN COURT CAUSING TWO DEATHS . The shocking accident at Matamau on the Palmerston INorth-Napier mam highway, on the .night of May 11, when the steel tray of a passing motor lorry sheared through the side of a fuliy laden service car killing two .passepgefs and injuring f our others, had its sequej. in the Magistrate's Court tat Danne-. virke yesterday, when the driver of the" lorry, Bernard Harhottle, a lahourer, aged 18 years, of Otane, was charged on two counts of negligent driving causing death, and another of unlawfully con- ■ verting a motor lorry. He pleaded not; guilty to each charge and was com- , mitt^d to the Supreme Court at Napier on August 5 for trial. The first charge was in respec-t of the . death of Patrick Laurenee Lander, a; schoolboy, aged 12, wliose puremu ' reside at Fitzroy, New Piymouth. lle was decapitated in the accident, death being instantaueous. The sccond charge concerned the death of Irvine fStuart Keltie, of Hastings, wlio died in the Dannevirke Hospital at (3.30 a.m. on the day following the accident, as a result of the injuries he had receiveu. I The third charge was that Harbottle had converted to his own use at Otane, , a motor lorry valued at £550, the 1 property of Clive Cassidy. I Messrs. W. Dobson and J. "W. | Llliugham, Justices of the Peace, prej sidcd. >Sgt. R. E. McGettigau conduct- : ed the case for the police. Mr. G. 1 Lioyd appeared for the accused, Mr. P. W. Dorrington watclied proceedings i for Newman Pros. (N.Z.), Ltd., wliile ■ Mr. E. Gibbard represented Mr. and 1 Mrs. Lauder, of New Piymouth, parents > of the decoased bov. j The driver of the service car, Leonard Charker Haddon, aged 35 : years, eniployed by Nevvmaus, and ■ residing at Nathan Place, Palmerston North, stated that he had been driving for his present empioyers since 193/. On May 11 he was on the usual 0.30 p.in. trip from Palmerston North to Napier. He left Dannevirke at 7.13 li.m. His attention was attracted by the headlights of auotlier vehieie rouiiding a beml about oue and a-lialf lnilcs tlio other side of Matamau -Storm His speed then was about 35 m.p.li., and he was on his correct side. The other vehicle would be about 100 yards away. The road was level and witness' vehicle was on a struight section. The lights of the other vehicle were not particularly bright, and he would estiinate tliat vehicle 's speed at 40 m.p.li. The oiicoiiiing vehicle appeared to be ' ' comiug out wide, " well on to the i centre of the *road. Witness said he j slowed down and edged over as far as I he could on his own side. He could go j over no further because tlxere was a j drop at the side of the road. His oft"I side wheels were well off the bitumen. I The approaching vehicle appeared to veer on to its correct side but the next

minute he savy it copiin^l^aiglj.t ap him. * '• ? /F- V- ' "It appeared to slew ovezf to the iri&orrect side of the road and tnen struck the side of my vehicle at about the forward -door on th'e. ^riving Mde,' said witness. • "I noticed J that the . other vehicle wras a heavy trpek, unladen, having a iiat tray without sides. After the eollision the truck left the road and smashed into a telegraph pole. The right-hand side of the service car was taken ri'ght off by the eollision. The bus slewed around ',and came to rest at right angles to the road. The truck finished- 'up abdQt 25 yards from the car; on ifs'vincorrdbt side - oi •tlie road. There were 11 ' adiiits anu three children passengers in my car. The boy Lauder 'was killecl outriglit. He was seated in the third ro w back' On the ■right liand side. Mr. Keltie, who latcr died in hospital, was injured- about the head. He' was' sitting in the seeonct row on the right hand side. Walter Rowan, inanagcr of the Banlv of New Zealand at JSiapier, said he and his wife were passengers on tlie service car, sitting in tlie f ront 'seat. Witness said he particularly noticed the manuer in which the driver handled his bus. Haddon kept to the correct side of the road, dipped his lights on the approach of other vehicles, of which there wero many, and drove cautiously around bends. The night was^line, with good visibility, a haif moon, and a good driving surface. Haddon drove ai about 35 to 40 m.p.h. on straight, even sections of road. Beyond the Matamau Store he saw the headlights of an oncoming vehicle about 300 yards away, and kee.ping well to the centre of the road, stated witness. The lights were not. particularly bright and they were not dippedi He would not consider them a • contributing factor to' the accident. The bus driver dipped his lights, deeelerated and pulled over as far as was safe to the left liand side of the road. Witness stated that at the time of the eollision the service car would be traveliing a about 30 m.p.li. He described the seene immediately after tlie accident when the boy Lander was louud decapitated at the.rear of tne bus. The other boy Lauder and an adult niale passenger were being attended to by a nian who said he was a' doctor. Three other service cars came on the scene and the drivers all assisteil in attonding to the wounded. Francis Andre'w Dunlop, Tirst assistant cheesemaker, of Bell Block, Mei\ ITymouth, who travelled witli his wife in the double back seat of the service car, gave evid'ence corrobprating that of the previous witness. Alan Thomson, dairy _ factory emplovee, James 'Howard Kilgour, farmer, both of Norsewood, and .Karl Fajo, confectibner, of. Hastings, all of. whom were traveliing. indepehdenfly. on the road hetwecn Alatamau^ a,ud, Norsewood, gave ev'idence that they had, seen a yellovv truck proceeding toiyards Mata mau. It was traveliing in the centre of the road, did not dip its .lj.ghts, and forced witnesses to edge right over to the left. . A cadet gmploycd at , the - Takapau Post Office, Rayiuond Melville .Stafford., aged 16, said he had knojvu accused for > seAmal ,years.j i, >. He had-.iiiade arrangej ments to accompany Harbotfcle to the Jpictures at Takapau on May 11. He saw the accused at Takapau Bost Office at 7.20 p.m. and Harbottle asked him to go for a ride with him. Harbottle took witness to a truck down the Jstreet. It had "Cassidy, Otaliej Waipukurau,, painted on the side. They jclimbed inta the truck aild Harbottle drove southwards towardk" Norsewood oii the main highway. Harbottle had said to him, " we should be able to get 60 m.p.li. out of this." Witness tolo him to wait until he (witness) was oui of it. They stoppcd just before they got to Norsewood and drunk lialf a bottlc of lieer each. The becr was under tlie j seat of the truck and there were three or four boltles there. On tlie Dannevirke side of Norsewood another bot)le of beer was opcned, and of this they drunk ahnost half botween them. The truck was a yellow oue. Accused had told witness he could not dip the lights because he did not lcnow whcre the switch was. Witness tried io dip tlie lights and they wcnt out altogether for a few secomls. There was no liglit on Ihe dashboard but he wohld est'imate I their speed from Takapau to Norsewood | at about 40 m.p.li. He saw the lights | of a car approaching and said to acicused tliat it was oue of Newman 's | service cars. At the time of the coljlision he estimated the lorry 's speed to ! be 30 to 35 m.p.li. Prior to tlie accident j Harbottle appeared to be keeping a proper loolt-out. I Gonstable J. Golbourne, Dannevirke, | read to the Court a sigiied statoment I made by accused the day following the i accident. Harbottle said tliat just as i Ihe lorry was passing the service car, | lie sneczed. He felt the two vehicles collide and he iost control of the steering wheel. Medical evidencc, of the injuries suffered by tlie two deceased persons was given by Dr. E. H. Clarke, medical superintendent of the Dannevirke Public Hospital. . This closed the caso for the police on the iirst two charges. After the hearing of short evidence ou the third indietment Harbottle cntered pleas of not guilty to all counts and was committcd for trial as stated. On the application of counsol previous bail, self £100 and oue surety £200, was renewed. A- coronial inquiry into the t.wo deaths was held later in the evening.