ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 759, 7 March 1910, Page 8

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

KNOCKED DOWN BY A TRAMCAR. VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH. An inquest was held at the Hospital on Saturday' morning, before Mr. W. R. Hase.ldcn, S.M, District Coroner, regarding the death of John Judgo,. who wns killed as the .result of .injuries received by being knocked down by a tramcar in Courtenay Place on the previous afternoon.. ■

Mr. J. O'Shea, City Solicitor, appeared on behalf of- the-corporation, and Sergeant Matheson represented the police.

Arthur Harold -Smith, living at 10 Brougham Street,. deposed to having wit nessed the accident. He said he saw deceased walking across Courtenay Place from the direction of Allen Street. A car was approaching from Manners Street, and another from the Courtenay Place end. Between the two trams deceased got confused. Witness did not see the actual impact, but the car which struck deceased—the one from the Courtenay Place end—was stopped suddenly. 'He helped to lift the front of the car off Judge. He did not hear the motorman ring or. call out, and in his (witness's) opinion the accident occurred through deceased paying attention to one car, and failing to take notice of the other. The street where the accident occurred was. about two chains wide, and was.free of vehicular.traffic at the time. He considered the car was pulled up in about halt' its length after the accident occurred. ■ .

Peter Robertson Russell, indent agent, who saw the accident, said that when tho mishap occurred the tram was travelling about eight miles ah hour. His attention was drawn by the motorman's orj; to "Look out," and on turning round quickly, saw the car strike Judge on the hip. Tho car was pulled up in about nine feet after- striking deceased; He would hardly think, that any blame was attachable to tho motorman. . .' In reply to a question by Mr.' O'Shea, witness , said he'.could not say how far away the car was from Judge when the motorman called out. .:•■-.

Dr., Hardwicke Smith, medical .superintendent at- the Hospital, deposed that he'examined 'deceased when -admitted to the 'Hospital. : 'i'he pelvic bones were' fractured, the right' thigh dislocated, several ribs were broken, and penetrated the lungs, and there were minor injuries. It was a hopeless case, and the man succumbed at B.'iß p.m. '• . i John Elliott, boardinghouse-keeper, with whom deceased.--was a boarder, said that he'(deceased) 1 was a navvy, and so far as he knew w-as a single man. He could not say as ! to whether deceased had any relatives. - ■' ' .--

Frederick Richard Stevenson, motorman, under examination, said that as he was passing one car he saw deceased, who.was about ten yards off step behind it. Witness rang -the- bell, and deceased, stopped back on to the other line, which was not tlie one he was travelling on. When five yards off, deceased stepped suddenly on to tho line in front of Iris car. , fhe magnetic brake was applied, and he,'estimated thai the car was brought to a standstill in six yards and a, half., - . .■"-.- • •'-.-.

Witness was recalled by this coroner after concluding his,.evidence,, and asked )f he had . had any-.previous, acciasuts, and/on witness,'saying that one r 6ld-lady had run in'iYont of 'his. car -and been knocked down,; but .without serious injury, the coroner said: "When an accident occurs 1 advise you not to say that tho P^ 00 injured ran in front of vtvur car. lhat statement is made so generally that it is , getting on tta public's nerves. People are really very- careful, and are generally afraid of the dangers' in the. streets. They do not like every accident being attributed to the folly of the person killed or injured." "Of course," he added, "there are cases of momentary inadvertence which lead to accidents." Constable Scott mentioned that while on the (way to , 'the Hospital he asked deceased whether he was married, but witness could not understand the renlv given. . , r J A verdict of accidental death was returned. . ■ACCIDENT AT TE ARC- BATHS. A man named Joseph Allen took a header off the high-diving board at Te Aro baths.yesterday, a height of 15 feet, mto adepth of eight feet of water, and struck the' bottom, dislocatiag his left shoulder. Dr. Elliott attended to the case, and the injured man, who is an employee of Messrs. Thompson, Lewis, then proceeded to his home.

BANK 'MANAGER'S'. MISHAP. Mr. M. Lewis, manager of the Union Bank, Marhnborough, met with a rather severe accident on Wednesday erenin» while travelling along the Teatherstbn Koad. He had ocoasion.to dismount from his horse to tigKlcn' up his girth, and while remounting, the horse being a young one, suddenly sprang forward and threw Mr. Lewis .heavily on the road Uβ sustained ■ severe . injuries about the race, and was badly shaken. j£e was removed ma semi-conscious-condition into Mr. P. Tod's house, until the necessary assistance could, be procured. It wifl probably. be some .little time before ha recovers from the shock.