SEQUEL TO FATAL SMASH

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 179, 16 August 1937, Page 6

SEQUEL TO FATAL SMASH

Charge of Negligent Driving Causing Death GREENMEADOWS ACCIDENT Fourteen witnesses are to be called by the police against Gerald James? of Otatara, in the lower Court hearing of a charge of reckless' driving causing dftath. The hearing was begun before Mr J. Miller, S.M., in the Napier Magistrate's Court this morning, and the case will last all day. The prosecution is a sequel to an aecident at Greenmeadows early on the morning of June 27, in whieh a young Maori, Moananui Tareha, waa killed when a iight motor truck struck a power-pole. Detective K. W. Mills conducted the prosecution, Mr C. J. E. Harker appeared in defence, and Mr V., J. VV. Longley on behalf of the owner of the truck. The , proceedings were conducted in conjunction with the inquest jnto the death of Tareha. James Pegram, of Napier, draughtsman, produced a plan of the locality of the accident, and William Alexander O'Dowd, of Otatara, farmer, told of lending his truck to the defendant to take some guests to Napier al'ter a party. They left at at about 2.30 a.m., witness subsequently discovering that. James had gone too. James was quite a capable driver and accustomed to using the truck. He appeared to be quite sober when he left. The truck was in good order except that the rear brakes were inclined to jam. Witness now knew that the defendant had no license. Defendant was perfectly sober when he drove her to Napier, and rirove very earefuily, said Merion Johnson, of Napier, aunt of the previous witness. An eye-witness of the accident, Frank Fordon Hildreth, of Fernhill, contractor, said that a light truck passed him ou the Napier-Taradale road when he was driving at 30 or 35 miles an hour. When he approached the intersection of Auckland and Gloucester roads, he saw the truck with the passengers' door against a-power-pole on the right-hand corner of the intersection. Two people were unconscious in the cab, the defendant being in the driver's seat and apparently regaining consciousness. After obtaining heip, fie returned to the truck and found the defendant conscious. Artliur Emmett, of Taradale, engineer, said he saw three vekieles together going toward Taradale from Napier, aud one, which appeared to be a threOseater, or a small lorry, picked up speed from the bend and passed him at about 60 miles an hour. The next vehicle witness passed on his bicycle about 200 yards further on, and then he heard a loud crash, which he was later informed was caused by a motor accident. There was a slight misty rain at the time, and it was very dark. Awakened by a crash, Percy Cross, of Greenmeadows, lorry driver, looked from his bedroom window and saw a light lorry against a power-pole outside his gate. The defendant, he said in evidence, was leaning on the wheel holding his head, and said there had been three people in the truck. Another man was lying on the seat with his head "behind the ^driver. Witness lifted t him but coulcl find no sign of life. He could not find a third person in HA,

vicinity. Defendant, witness said, added that the deceasedi;had been driving at the time of the accident. The truck had struck tlie power-pole exactly in the centre of the passenger door, and the pole had snapped 'off. Excessive^ speed caused the accident, in the opinioh of 'a motor engineer, Joseph Custance, who inspected thp locality and the truck.' The iinpact, he said, must have been particularly Heavy to do the damage that had been done, and "he- considered that the speed'of the" vehicle must have been more than 60 miles an hour. Frederick Firman, of. Napier, mptor engineer, said that the st.eering-gear of the vehicle w'as in perfect order even after the collision, and it. appeared that the truck had got out of • coutrol ciwing., t.o excessive speed— at -least 65 miles an hour, in. tlie opinion Qf .wit-. ness. The maximum. speed of the truck under perfect conditions would be 80 or 85 miles an. hour. (Proceeding).