SPECTACULAR CRASH HAS COURT SEQUEL

Chronicle (Levin), 12 July 1947, Page 4

SPECTACULAR CRASH HAS COURT SEQUEL

A' SpectacUlar crash near Kuku rbbently, whbh a late modei coupe car performe'd- d series- of acrobats followiiig its" failure to nego'tiate a bend in the road-, had a seqtiel in court- yesterday, when the driver. Douglas- Hdiig Smith, farmer, of Levin,' was- charged with driving the- vehible" withoiit due care and attentionv , App-earing for defendant, Mr. J. P. Bertram ehtered a plea- of; guilty. An ihspecfion of- the area- revealed tyre mUrks- 47 f'eet 6 in'ches sotcth- of- the . ac'tual- bend to the right of the- bi-tumeh, then ofi the bitumeh for a- further 53 f-eet, said i Sergeant Grainger. The vehicle had' struek- the edge of a buiit up culyert, continued pyer.. demolished a str^iner- post and had appareritly travClled: along the top of the fe'nce ?or 45 feet, demnlishing some six posts-- in its path. It had. finall'y > lorne to re§t ,rin a paddock. The culvert was 25 feet across and was ; packed firm, bu,t the car had ; "ploughed through it Iike a b'ull^pzef.". There were passengers in the vehicle, but though they weffe ari .thrqwn out, only, the driver was seri'ously ihjured. It Wdd pbMted but by Mr. Bertram that the vehicle was a fiew iohe and had bden 'damfaged to a considerable extent. The driver had hot notibed t-he bend ih the road. He had been severely nUn- - ished already by injuries, and by dbSs- 6t wfofkihg time ah'd' the" expbrise th hjtS: c'af. "i wiri take' fntb cohside'ratibn he* damagb to1; this- man's new vehible,' bht thb fabt remainS that there- werb pass-engrs in the . ea# and a serib'Us tragedy hiight liave occurred," said Mr. A. M. Goulding S.M., wheh- irhpbsihg a? finb' bf lol.' Court costs ambUnted to a further 10s. ■