SERIES OF ACCIDENTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 81, 29 December 1937, Page 6

SERIES OF ACCIDENTS

Our Own CorrMDondenk*

Four Motoring Mishaps in Central Hawke's Bay CAR PLUNGES .OVER BRIDGE

(From

WAIPUKURAU, Last Night. Four motor accidents occurred during the Christmas holiday period in the district round Waipukurau, but only one person was admitted to hospital, although others suffered bruises and shock. A remarkable escape from injury was experienced by two colleger boys whose small sedan car crashed through the rails of a bridge on. the Takapau-. Ongaonga road and fell 10 feet into the dry riverbed. The car was damaged, but the two oecupants escaped. There were three accidents on Christmas Eve and another earlier the same day, but the town of Waipukurau itself was free from accidents. A considerable volume of race traffie made motoring difiieult yesterday, but no accidents have been reported. The bursting of a tyre caused a touring car, driven by a Mr Goldie. of Wellington, to xun off the road "and capsize in a ditch on the Takapau P]ains on Christmas Eve. Mrs Goldie suffered injuries necessitating her admission to the Waipukurau District Hospital, but she was diseharged from there to-day. Five other oecupants suffered bruises and shock. The car was extensively damaged, the hood and bodywork being smashed beyond repair and one wheel broken. When a touring car driven by Mr J llice and a two-seater car driven by Mr A. C. Russell, both of Hatuma, collided on Christmas Eve on the Hatuma road. both vehicles had the front right mudguar.ds and the front axles bent, but nobody was injured. Tlie front wheels of a touring car driven by Mr Guthrie, of Napier, were overhanging the water when it came to a stop after striking the rails of a bridge near the Harakeke golf course on the Takapau road about 8 o'clock off Christmas Eve. Several people were in the car, but all escaped injury. The front of the vehicle was considerably damaged. After crashing 10 feet through the side of a bridge into a dry riverbed at Makaretu on Friday morning, two oecupants of a small sedan car stepped out unharmed. The car belongcd to Mr W. J. Thompson, of Makaretu, but it was being driven at the time by his son, Mr William F. Thompson, who had a college friend with him as passenger. The car at tlie time was negotiating a bOnd by the one-way bridge near Mr Frank Thompson 's property on the Takapau-Ongaonga road, when it skidded in loose metal and crashed through tlie bridge rails, falling 10 feet into the drv riverbed. The car was daniaged, but neither occuuant suffered injury.