MOTORCYCLIST KILLED.
•COLLISION OS HUH ROAD. AN UNLIGHTED VEHICLE. RESULT OF THE INQUEST. A serious motor-oyclo accident resulting in tho death of Frank Kovell, ail Englishman, aged 27. years, occurred 011 the Hutt. Road in the- vioinity of Rocky Point on Friday'night. Rovell was riding a motor-cycle, and collided with a, one-horso dray, loaded with metal from the Petono Beach, and driven by Thomas Sheehan, who is employed by Mr. Patrick Cavariagh, Kaiwarra. The deceased, who camo ~to the Dominion about six months ago, was employed at the Petono, Railway 1 Workshops. The body of the. deceased was conveyed to the Petone Police Station, where Dr. Harding pronounced lifo oxtinct.
Evidence at the Inquest. 'At"the Pjptone Police Station on Saturday afternoon the Coroner (Mr/ W. G. Riddell, S.M.)'held an inquest on the body of the'deceased. Wm. Mitdiell, a labourer residing at •Petone,' stated that deceased 'boarded •with him. Deceased was a fitter employed in the Petone Eailway Workshops.' As far as witness knew, deceased never drank. Witness saw Revell last at about 6.45-p.in. on Friday, when lie •'••was making, preparations, for - a ride, on-his motor-cycle. Deceased was accustomed to, handling motor-cycles: Deceased had a brother, ou the warship •Melbourne, .but witness did not think lib had'any relatives in New. Zealand. Ho was a single man; and. was, about 27' sears of age. - Clifton Lloyd Ramsden, an employee tat the Petono Woollen Mills Company, said 'that"as";he"was going aloiw tfco Hutt Koad towards Petone on l'riday night- at about 9 o'clock, he - noticed a horse and .dray near Rocky Point. It did not have any lights oil it. - -The Slight was rather a.! dark..one.', fco-no ■little distane'e,! from the dray, to saw ■a man lying/on, the road, arid near by the dray was' TlW.iiran lying on- '.tho road -.. was. the deceased. . There: ' was no light cither on tho. cart or on tho cycle. *Ho immediately . went for a doctor,' arid during ,his absence the tody was brought to, Petone in a motorcar. ' Witness continued by stating that before coming upon the deceased ho passed a dray, going inthe direction ff ' ,\Velifi?gtonl '>'It"had no lights. In tho opinion of r witness the dray, .and cyclist •wero"keeping:to the middle of the road. Sheehan, the driver of- the, dray, was muddled, but witness could not say whether it'was caused by drink or excitement. - When witness came upon the dray the horse was lying down. It was ko 'dark that witness ; jyas.-,right:;on..to. /the cart before hS/:saw'it;>The;hbrsc'had. several minorinjurieß/> : bufc;otherwise appeared to be all right'.'' ; i; - ;<1 " rt .. : , William Miller, an' employee in the Petone was' in company with ' the : lasV witriess .when the body was discovered, endorsed Ramsden's stato'rtierit'and : said. that .the. dray did not have ariy. light.. ; After the body had been taken to. Petorie, the driver, Sheehan, camp up. He did riot say anything.to;,witness. ...He appeared to .be flurried: i; To -Mr.- Riddell Witness- was of opinion that deceased was dead when he first saw the'Midy: ' Deceased did riot move'. Dr. H. W. L. Harding gave" medical' evidence to the effect that he attended tho deceased at : 9.45 p'.-iri.'on Friday. Hp found Revell;;dead:;.' .Th6te' was a largo wound in thtJ'chtest; just to the right of the breast-bone between the fifth-and sixth ribs'.' Several : ribs itere fractur'ed;'"'The 1 decked "would'not live
long'after'receiving^such, a'.wound. •••• Constable James Cairmody said that lio proceeded'to''the scene of. tho accident and'he thero found the. right shaft of tho dray broken. It'wos sprinkled in blood. There: was -no : sign ; of 'a lamp on the dray and no bracket where ono could bo attached."'There'was part.of a lamp on the motor 5 ; cyple.j' In witness's opinion the dray was on tlie right; side.' ' He saw Sheehan/ivho was walking along in a condition. He appeared stupefied from: drink, and he smelt very strongly of'it'.'' j. In "reply to' Mr. RidtleU, witness said 'that thf 'accident",happened, about threequarteis of., 'a mile "from tho 'railway crossing at' Petone. Witness, arrested Sheehan on, a .charge, of insobriety.' The dray was loaded with metal. William Burn," cyclo. engineer stated that he knew; the deceased, who had come to witness's shop at about 7.15 P.m. on Friday to purchase some carbide fpr liis lamp. 1 The''carbide would last tivo or three hours* The lamp was lit before deceased left the shop. Tlie deceased was an experienced rider. 'IJiomas Sheehan, a labourer, employed at Kaiivarra, stated that he was driving a draV along-the Hutt Road on 1 l'iday .'••• It was' loaded' with metal from tho Petone beach. AVitjjcss stopped ,at tho Grand National Hotel at about 8.30 p,nn, and there had two drinks. ' There was another .man'with liini—tho driver-of the Other dray. Both consumed two-pints of beer each. It was.dark when they left the hotel,' and there was iio light on witness's dray. . Witness to his right side of the. road.. He was on his right sido when the motor-cyclist struck him. 'The. uiptor-cyclo shot out of the darts and ran irito;the /horse.,, had no light." At the moment, of the impact the horse fell over, and witness, jumping to the ground,.asked;deceased R I'c a 'l right. Deceased only groaned. AVi'tness then: went-to get a doctor. Witness did liot notice deceased bleeding. .Someone passed witness on a motor-cycle '.'going towards; Petoiie. ' ' He did not-see the body removed to tho Btatipnlv.'J'ho dray was being driven at a slow,.walk. Tlie fright witness got muddk'rV.liini just as.mnc'li as the drink.
In delivering his finding, the Coroner said that tire evidenco showed the danger wliich existed "when people redo frithoutja light. / The Hutt lioad was.a
tvido thoroughfare/ and if. the vehicles
were carrying lights the accident would never have happened.' The' evidence thowed. that .thero was 110 light on.the dray. ' No, great reliance could be put upon the evidence of Sheehan, who was
i:i a muddled state of iiiind. There was no doub't that Slicehan was travelling nt a slqjj- rate of speed. In his opinion the motor-cycle was travelling at a hjgh rate ofT-speed. The verdict would be that' Frank Bpvcll "'died:'. ; bn tho Hutt Road, AVellingttpn, oil February 27, through rinjuries accidentally received in
n collision between iiis motor-cyclo and « horsoland cart.
Thonift's Sheeiiafi ,was, ;then % Ivith bf:i;ig intoxicated whilst in cliaYgo of a horse and cart on the Hntt Road, nndVifli!failing to liavo a.light.on his vehicle .after sinlsot."- 1 On' the"-first'count, ho was convicted and discharged, ajid rm the second chargo ho was fined 10s., In default,2-1 .."hours'- imprisonment. A furtHer charge' was then preferred Acainst "Sheehan. The/charge was:
"That on February 27, on tho Hutt Road, Wellington, he, was of nn. ' omission, tfitlioiiJful v «se{iso,' s to observe a legal duty, such omission causin," the death of one Frank Revell." Sheelian was remanded to appear at Wellington on "Wednesday next. Bail fras not-applied for.
The funeral of the late Mr. Revell took place at l'etone yesterday afternoon. '"-A 'a'rgo "number of Railway Workshops employees, Followed tho. r'!rt-"C'(»,;whieh left the residence of Mr. W.' A!iicl)cll,vHnto Road, at 2.30 p.m. for ilinM-lnitir.cemetery.' • Members of tho Hutt Vnlley Cyclina Club also attended.The....li.cy,. slr. .Stevenson (Anglican) conduct-cd the service at "tho graveside.;- .V.7" .t: 1 ::.; •: ;
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Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1996, 2 March 1914, Page 8
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1,180MOTORCYCLIST KILLED. Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1996, 2 March 1914, Page 8
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