MOTOR FATALITY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3195, 20 September 1917, Page 7

MOTOR FATALITY

t CHILD KILLED o RUN DOWN IN MOLESWORTH ?. ■'"'.. STREET LThe adjourned inquest was held yestel's day into the circumstances attending the s death of a child named Gordon Challis, y aged 51-years, who was knocked down 't by a motor-car driven bv Percy Withers, n chauffeur to Mr. Walter Johnston, Hob5, son Street. The accident occurred in u Molesworth Street on Fiiday afternoon 0 last, and the child died in tho Wellins--1( ton Hospital soon after midnight. Mr. .- H. F. O'Lcary watched the proceedings ;, on behalf of the parents, Mr. A. Gray, k. K.C., appeared for Percy Withers, niid ,a Mr. G. G. G. Watson appeared for Mr, y Walter Johnston, the owner of the car. e 'Sub-Inspector Dew conducted the case for is the police. 't' ' " V n s • . Passenger's Statement. ;- Alfred H. Lytheer, chauffeur to Mr. J. 3 Duncan, Hobson Street, stated that he it was in the car driven by Percy Withers a on ■ the Friday afternoon in question, e The, car was proceeding down Molesworth it Street-in the direction of Lambton Quay. -- When nearing the brewery, Withers put n, on tho brakes, but witness could not say i. exactly where the brakes were applied. i. He had not seen tho skirl on the road e since the accident. He thought the car e. started to skid immediately the brakes h were put on. The horn was bto,wn nln most at the same time as the brakes !. were applied.. At that timo there was l- a clear view of the road. Tho first thing e: ho saw was a little boy on the road, who n shot out from "somewhere. He had not is: noticed the child before the brakes were n applied.- The boy was crossing the,road, r but witness could not say whether he ia' was crossing at-right angles or' diagon-i-i ally.- He did not know whether Withers released" the brakes after the car began to.'skid..,. Witness next noticed Withers S turn the.car to the near 6ide to avoid the child, who was in front of the cannear the off-side front wheel. The child was'fairly close to the car then. Tho front of the car did not strike the child. Witness was of opinion that the child ■■■■ must, have been struck by some part of ■•'• the rear' portion of the car, the mud- !': guard or the back wheel. The car did ■ not run,over the child. The car was not >'; absolutely stationary. AVhen the car t'■ stopped the child was about three . or four feet behind the car, near the offside iwh'eel. The child was picked up by ' a stranger to witness and taken to Mr. 5 HanlonV pharmacy. AVitness had had i. eleven years' experience as a driver, and had been five years in his present emi ployment. He had never had, an acci- ■ dent. • Coming down Molesworth' Street °\ the'ear was travelling at from seventeen -'.to twenty miles an hour. He said he r' -wpuld give his word of honour th aft the car was not travelling at a greater speed. '" He : drove up and /lown Molesworth t 'Streeton'an average about four times a 5 day. He regulated his speed according , • to. the traffic- in the street. The speed •■ at which Withers was travelling on tho ' occasion was quite warranted. Under the ■ circumstances he would., have*; done the same as Withers had done to avoid the t 'accident:. He considered that Withers , had done everything possible to „avoid striking the child. The car was a veryx V heavy one, which .would account for the „\ <car on the kerb-stone, and the knocking f down of the verandah post when it got f '-.on to the footpath. . „ \ To Mr. Gray: The whole thing took i less time to happen than it had taken 7. tb tell. Witness said nothing to Withers to divert his attention. When witness , saw the child .ho thought it was hopei less-'to do anything, and considered that 1 an accident was inevitable. He could , not suggest anything that AVithers coura I' have'- done' or left undone which would '■ have\helped him t&Woid the accident. •'■', Itlwduldhave been' impossiblo to pull ) qar.dead. The rate of speed, havl> ing regard to the h'affic, was not exces- " sive.. '.'.'"'.' What An Eye-witness Saw. Bertram R. H. Greeks, motor diiver, . employed iby tho Wellington. City Coun- ! oil, stated that he drove his car through . Molesworth Street on Friday afternoon j last. He saw three or four .children play--5 ing in the gutter near Staples's brewery. , Witness was travelling at about fourteen i. or fifteen; miles an hour. AVitness blew . the .horn'-'and the/children- got out of , the gutter'ou to the footpath.. Just as he passed the children he saw two vehi- '■ cles coming up Hawkestone Street; one crossed Molesworth Street, mak- ., ing for Lambton Quay. AVitness pulled [ up, and heard a motor horn sounded. . It was an'extraordinary shrill, and when witness looked around ho sdw the car driven by AVithers. The latter's. oar ' had not'actually stopped, but was crawling on-- to the footpath, and the ..verandah post was knocked.down; the car then seemed to drop off the footpath. Witness saw something • lying on the road - about three or four feet near the off t back wheel. ' To Mr. Gray: When, ho looked back - he did not see any other car but the [ one driven by Withers, and that partf of the streot was clear of traffic. , Sergeant Wade; of the Lambton Sta- '■ tion, gave evidence as to taking measure- . ments of the wheel marks made by the ■ car in Molesworth Street. He stated ■ that the car skidded 75 feet. I■ ■ ■ i Expert Evidence. I. Lewis Smith Drake,.;' Motor. Inspector \ for the AVelUngton City council, exam- .! ined by Mr. A. Gray, said it was his duty :to examine all cars. He knew Percy Withers and knew his qualifications. He was an excellent driver, and he was a safe driver. AVitness was of opinion that itwenty miles per hour in Molesworth Street, if the traffic was not much, would be quite a safe speed. It .all depended upon the traffic on the "road.. He. knew Mr. Johnston's car; it was high-powered, about 50 h.p. He N had ■ examined the car since the accident and found it in good condition, and the'brakes in excellent order. The near mr/d-guard was dented. There were two sets of ' brakes to the car—foot brakes and hand . brakes. The driver in his seat could operate the foot brakes. Tho i'unotion of the brakes was to reduce tho speed and . bring the car to a standstill; they must be strong enough to lock the wheels. If the brakes locked; tho wheels on a down-grade the car would skid. The brakes would act most effectively Ijuet prior to the point of skidding. The square of the speed per hour divided by ten would give the minimum distance in which a car would be'pulled up by the brakes. The condition of the road would affect the matter. The car in question, travelling eighteen miles an hour, should be pulled up in forty feet. Tho estimate given by AVithers of .having pulled up in fifteen or twenty yards would be correct. AVitness examined the marks on the road, and in his judgment there was no indication that the speed was excessive. Experience showed that when a car travelling over twenty miles per hour had the brakes applied there was a . .deviation in the track. This was due to the car rolling owing to the sudden ' application of the brakes. He heard the evidence of AVithers, and in his opinion, there was nothing else tho driver could have dono 16 avoid the accident. The Magistrate decided to give his verdict after hearing the address of counsel, which will bo takeu at 2.15 p.m. to-day.