ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS

Evening Star, Issue 20049, 14 December 1928, Page 2

ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS

CROSSING TRAGEDY. An inquest was held at Christchurch yesterday into the death of Samuel Thomson, aged twenty-six, who was killed in a collision between a train and a Public Works lorry at Woolston level crossing on November 22. Thomas Crawford, driver , of the motor lorry, said ho approached tho line at a speed of eight or ten miles an hour. He was about 20ft from the line when he first saw the engine approaching. A niacrqcarjra, hedge, Bft high, obscured his view. He did not hear the engine whistle. Herbert Norman Stokes, driver ot the locomotive, said he whistled twice approaching the crossing. He applied both brakes when he saw the lorry, but tho train struck it. None of the men on tho lorry was actually struck by tho engine. Mr Mosley (coroner), giving lus verdict, said he had no evidence that tho crossing was specially dangerous. It seemed to him that if drivers of vehicles exercised ordinary care there should bo no special danger. “ 1 cannot but emphasise,” said the Coroner, “ the necessity for the utmost care to be taken by vehicular traffic approaching railway crossings. 1 know that, probably, I am wasting breath, i know that motor drivers don’t do this sort of thing.” The coroner re turned a formal verdict. DEATH FROM BURNS. The adjourned inquest into the death of Rhoda Mary Louisa Duhstan, aged six, was concluded at Christchurch. The evidence showed that the child had been flaying with her brother, who struck a match and ignited the sleeve of his sister’s frock. Tho child suffered severe burns before the father could extinguish the flames. Tne Coroner found that death resulted from burns, accidentally received. KILLED BY CAR. Hugh Alexander Cammock, aged sixteen, was knocked down and killed by a motor car at Westfield (Auckland) at 10 last night. . His parents reside at Onehunga.—Press Association