RUNAWAY LORRY SPOILS CHRISTMAS

Chronicle (Levin), 27 December 1946, Page 5

RUNAWAY LORRY SPOILS CHRISTMAS

— Press Association

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Dec.^ti.-. :■ AVitli part of their living (juarters wrecked and their sitting-room Hooded witli niilk, Mr. M. I). Morris and liis family did not spend a liappv Clirisi mas. A driverless runaway milk lorry chafged down Coromandel Streel. at 2.15 a.m. 011 Clvristnias Dav, and plunged through tli» wall of the living quarters of tlie milk bar occupied l>y liirn at the cofner of Coromandel St reei and Constable Ktreet. Tlie lorry, whicli was owned by" tlie City Corpoi'ation milk dtqiarlniertt, crashed tray-first tlirougli Ihe oiitsidv wall and" tore tlirougli another jiartinou wall, coming to a liall. with Ihe tray partly in the sit ting-roonr aml fiartlv in tlie kitclicn. I11 its plunge the lorry had wrecked a store cupboard, a refrigerator, cou laining aniong otlier tliings the Morris family \s Christmas dinner, and (iama'ged the gas stove. The conteiits of the store cupboard — Initter, .iam, ice cream cones, flavourings, and

otlier milk bar supplies — oo/.ed over tlie ftoor in a sticky mess, and an inch-deep flood from tlie shattered milk bottles coveiied the sitting-room carpet. By' 9 k.m. 'They b(id]y-dania.ged lorry liad .beeii towed 'c'leaV by a 'miiik "department gang, and this niorning the gaping liole in the house side was covered with a tarpawlin, giving passers-by little idea of the e.xtent of the aceident. It was a brick chimney whicli prevented the runaway froni ehargiug right through into tlie adjoining premises. I11 these, 011 the otlier side of the chimney, a 12-year-old boy, Murray Kyan, lay sleeping, and the rliunderous crash did not even awake him.