NO NEGLIGENCE

Evening Star, Issue 22447, 18 September 1936, Page 9

NO NEGLIGENCE

THE MAIN TRUNK DERAILMENT INQUEST ON SOLE VICTIM {Per United Press Association.] ' WELLINGTON, September 18. “ 1 am satisfied there was no negligence on the part of the Railway Department, and that no blame attaches to the driver, who did everything possible to stop the train immediately the slip became visible. 1 congratulate the driver and the fireman on escaping with their lives. Their escape was one of the most extraordinary features of the whole mishap,” said the coroner, Mr Gilbertson, when adjourning till October 5 the inquest into the death of Arthur Frederick Bush (80), a retired carpenter, of Blenheim. The medical evidence was that deceased died from pneumonia and heart failure associated with shock, resulting from an accident to the Main Trunk express near Paraparaumu on August 30. The Coroner said he was interested to hear the evidence of William Howell, the farmer who attempted to stop the train, but who was indisposed and would not be available until early next month. His evidence, though interesting, would not, however, affect liis opinion that neither the department nor the driver of the train had been in any way negligent. The driver, Wilsher, in the course of his evidence, said visibility was bad owing to driving wind and rain. He saw the slip when rounding a bend. - It was a train length away, and the train was going at about 45 miles an hour. He immediately shut off steam and applied the emergency brakes, but the distance was too short in which to stop the train. No departure was made from his usual vigilance when driving a train. Had the slip occurred on a straight portion of the road it could have been avoided, because of the lookout he was keeping. He did not see a man running across the paddocks in an endeavour to stop the train. Had the man been on the railway he would have seen him, as his whole attention was centred on the line. He had been familiar with the line for 25 years, and it was not a place where a slip would be expected.