A NARROW ESCAPE

Hokitika Guardian, 4 July 1930, Page 5

A NARROW ESCAPE

MOTOR-CAR DESTROYED

PALMERSTON N. June 30.

A compartively new sedan car when approaching the Taonui railway level crossing late on Friday night came to grief and immediately caught fire and was almost totally destroyed. The occupants,- Messrs K. Lourie and Holder, had a fight to get out of the ear, and were successful in getting one door open as the flames came through the floor boards under the driver’s seat.

The car was the property of Mr J. D. Lourie, of Hunterville, and was returning from a visit to Pahiatua on’ Friday night. The driver came on the turn to the crossing before be could control the vehicle, with the result that it bumped down a slight bank off the outer edge of the road and brought up violently against the rails, smashing the windows. The crash was immediately followed by the car taking fire. , .

A-nearby settler, who had just returned from a dance, heard the crash, and surmising trouble on the crossing, ran to give help; He was surprised to see the car on fire and alarmed when he saw the two occupants struggling to net; out. One tried to smash the windscreen, and both were beginning, to complain of the heat when the door was opened and thev escaped. The oar was soon enveloped in flames. All the coachwork, and seats, and even the tvres and spokes of the back wheels, were burnt off. . . The crossing has been the scene of numerous unrenorted accidents, and as i + is considered somewhat of a tran to fbo mof or "st who is pot aware that the main mad crosses the line at, this point. Hie Wanganui Automobile Association Intends to.take steps to have the locality sight-posted. At present the crossing is not marked, and the need for signposts has been anno,rent, for some time. This is tbe view of coHlnrs liviiUT neni’bv. who eal'W uuon to sret cars out of fh'fficulties when they have gone off the vn<ul. Qn one occasion a car drove fight on to the cattle stops, fortunately without serious consequences.