MANNERS STREET FATALITY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 160, 2 April 1921, Page 8

MANNERS STREET FATALITY

CONCLUSION OF INQUEST

The inquest into the circumstances of the death of Daisy Maud Mountfort in tho Wellington Hospital on Wednesday morning, as the result of injury’s received in a tram accident in Manners Street the previous day, was concluded before the Coroner (Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M.) yesterday, Senior Sergeant M'Namara appeared for the police, and Mr. J. O'Shea for the tramway department. ' Constable J, Crowley stated that on Tuesday last at about 5.5 ,p.m. he was on point duty near Manners Street, and got to the scene of the accident soon after it happened. A great crowd gathered round, and at first there was only himself and another constable to keep the people back, but shortly afterwards a number of police arrived. The conduct of the crowd lacked discretion, and ' people were hampering the tramway men who were using the jacks; some of the crowd even jumped on the car. There was no undue delay in the arrival of the jacks, and the tramway officials were very expeditious. Robert Batty Hetherington, * a clerk, stated- that hd know the deceased, who resided with him at Khandallah. She 'left-home about noon on Tuesday, for I town, and was then in good health. That was tho last time ho saw her alive. Her eight was slightly defective, but hethearing was good. She was a married woman separated from her husband. Senior Sergent M'Namara stated that he had known the deceased as Daisy Maud Mountfort, also as Maud Taylor; her husband's name was Claude Harold Mountfort. She had been separated from her husband. There were two children, a boy 14 years of age, and a girl aged 11 years. Mr, -and Mrs. Mountfort had been married in Wellington on March 19, 1905. The Coroner reviewed the evidence at somij length, and stated that it showed clearly how the deceased met her death, but with regard to deceased's movements prior to stepping off the tramcar there was no evidence. No passenger had actually seen her step off the car. Whether the deceased thought there was n stopping-place at that corner or not it was difficult to say, and he could only characterise tho unfortunate occurrence - f ifl an accident. The evidence showed /that tho tramway officials showed every expedition. There was. evidence that they were interfered with by the crowd, some of whom actually boarded the tramcar. Thoughtless persons could always be found at the scene of an accident, but wan a matter over which . a coroner had no control. The police were there, and as soon as additional constables arrived they, together with other officials, succeeded in keeping the crowd back. There was no evidence of carelessness or neglect on the part ofeither the conductor or the driver of the car. The Coroner found that death was duo to injuries received through being accidentally nm over by a tromcar -in Manners Street on Tuesdify, March 29.