CAR'S FATAL DIVE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 62, 31 March 1937, Page 4

CAR'S FATAL DIVE

Inquest Into Tarawera Tragedy COMPANIONS' EVIDENCE The story of hovr deceased's car had skidded on a road surface and plunged down a 40-foot bank was told by witnesses at the resnmed inquest in Napier to-day into tbe death of Bfaloolm Carmont Laidlaw, agied 26, of Taradale, who was killed in an accjdent at Tars^ wera on Good Friday. At the oonclusion of the hearing, the district coroner, Mr J. Miller, S.M., adjoumed the hearing to enable evidence to be taken from two of the victims who were still in th© Napier Public Hospital. The party left the camp shortty after nine o'elock in the morning, said Trevor Henry Jones, tractor-driver, of Taradale. There were six in the car, including tlie driver. ArchibaXd Laidlaw, a brother of the deceased, drove the car to about a mile from the scene of the accident, 'and then the decsasbd took the. wheel, as his brother had become tired. The car travelled down an incline on a straight road, where tlfe occupants aaw another car approaching from th® direction of Tarawera. The road at this point was fairly narrow,, and it was apparent that the other car would he met at this point. "Wituess did not know that at the top . of the inclin® there was a specially-conBtructed bajr to enable cars to pass. Witness 's car waB travelling at about nine miles an hour, or a little more, and the other car was travelling a little faster. Deceased pulled the car over on the fbad, and in doing so left the running surface so that the lefthand wheels sank in a soft surface below a growth of bracken. Consequently the weight of the . car was thrown on to the left-hand side. Tbe , approaching car almost came to a standstill as it passed; witness did not kn^sv how much of the road it took. The car in which witness was a paseenger then gave a bump, as if th® front purtion had struck a bump. Almost immediately after, the car left the road, rolled about 40 feet down a bank, and came to rest in a small crAek below. When witness rose he saw deceased, who was obviously dead, lying under the car in the water of the ereek. "I thihk the cause of the xhishap was pure accident," said witness, in eonclusion. In reply to Sergeant Bonisch he gave as his opinion that the driver of the other car did everything humanly possible to avoid an accident, and in no way contributed to the accident. Henry George Moore, a labotxrer employed in the State Forest Camp, was another paissenger in the car. The approaching car appeared to be in the centre of the road when witness first saw it, but as it came nearer it vesred to the correct side of the road. He did not realise there was anything wrong until one of the other passengers cried out: " We're overj" After trying to lift the car, witness heard another approaching, and climbed up fhe bank to get help. He did not coneider that the other car was in afiy way responsible for the accident. Further evidence was given by Herbert Wills, who was seated in the back seat of the car. He corroborated the evidence of the previous witnesses. The road was very narrow, he said, and he did not now cofiisider that there was sufficient room for two ears to pass with safety. Deceased did not pull any more to the left of the ro&d than was necessary to avoid a collision. The car travelled a sBort distance after passing, but was felt to skid, with the driver using every endeavour to brihg it back to the road.