FATAL ACCIDENT
DIMMING OF LIGHTS A GREAT FACTOR Dominion Special. Auckland, December 2. “I think that the dimming of the car’s headlights was a great factor in causing the accident,” said the Coroner (Mr. F. K Hunt, S.M.) in returning a verdict of accidental death at an inquest held concerning the death of George Aldridge, pastor of the West Street Church of Christ. Deceased was knocked down by a motor-car in Dominion Road ou October 12, and died later in the Auckland Hospital. Mr. Northcroft appeared for the driver of the car, Ernest Rutter. A passenger in the car, Margaret Coupland, said that the vehicle was travelling at about 12 or 15 miles an hour on the correct side of the road. Immediately after the car had passed Carrick Place a man made his appearance on the roadway in front of the car, and appeared to be crossing at an angle away from the car. He was only four feet from the vehicle when witness first saw him. Rutter swerved to the right, but the man was struck by the left-hand lamp. The car stopped in about two lengths, and deceased was seen lying three or four feet from the kerb. The driver was sounding his horn and dimming his lights frequently. Mr. Northcroft explained that the driver could not appear, as he had been seriouslv ill since the accident.
In a statement to the police, the driver said he dimmed his lights on account of the approach of two other cars. He swerved to avoid deceased, but could not effect a total clearance. Tn returning a verdict tliat death was due to deceased being accidentally knocked down bv the motor-car, the Magistrate said that he found nothing to show that therfe was any negligence on the part of the driver, “The time has come,” said Mr. Hunt, “when the authorities will have to do something in the matter of dimming headlights. I am quite sure that if deceased could have seen a rav of light from the car the accident would not have occurred. The man would be alive to-day if the lights' had not been dimmed.”
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Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 59, 3 December 1926, Page 12
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358FATAL ACCIDENT Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 59, 3 December 1926, Page 12
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