A Fatal Hill.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 3 December 1918, Page 2

A Fatal Hill.

—— «r INQUEST INTO THURSDAY'S ACCIDENT. The District-Coroner, Mr W. O. Nation, held mi enquiry at Para par aumu nil Monday into tlie circumstances of the death' of Mr William Frederick Williams, metal merchant, and a wellknown Paraparauniu resident, who was killed on the Paekakaniki hill oil Thursday tli rough lids motor car running over the olifE. Jessie Williams, wife of deceased, deposed that her (husband left Paraparaumii on Thursday with her mother for . Plimmerton. He had been oyer the ■hill several times in the car which belonged to his firm. He was' nervous; when in difficulties but otherwise a capable driver. Hiad witness not receivedl a wire she' would have b'een on. the car and would probably have prevented'the, accident. She saved a similar mishap on the fiimiitaka. When she returned home the same day her husband was not there. She rang up Plimmerton and found he hod not arrived there so it was decided to search the hill, Hns was done but the lanterns were not good. They were [informed that h© had passed over Oarter's hill but ; this vras not correct. Witnesra had driven over the hill herself and knew tile car which hadi a powerful engine and a habit_ of jumping. There should be a protecting fence on' the road. - If a car broke away there would be no hope for the occupant?. Ser husband, was 55.. John Bly, County roadman, stated that in company with Mr W. J. Howell he- found the car on Friday with the deceased nearby and about five chains down the hill-/ Mrs Robertson, the other occupant of the oar 1 was about '12 chains below the car. She. wa§ holding to a small tree. Witness heardi her oooeeing faintly and she said she had been colling all night. W. J. Howell deposed to the finding of the car and the prompt measures taken for the relief of Mrs Robinson, who said the car was runnin.ar backwards and Mr Williams turned the handle the wrong way. Witness thought the Cfoernment should fence the roadl; had there been a three-wire fence the accident would note have occurred. Mrs Robertson's evidence was taken at tlie Otaki Hospital. She said she was- going by -ear on Thursday with Mr Williams to Plimmerton. When they got to the foot of the hill they met a motor lorry and Mr Williams Faid: ""What a pity; it makes me out off my speed. I could have got full speed on and" got. over tlie -hill nicely." WStness here got out audi got into the front seat. When they got halfway up the hill, just turning to go on to the eecondi loop, witness thought the engine stopped and the enr commenced to back. With the left lia nd Mr Williams turned the handle and the nest thing witness remembered was the car goinsr over tlie hill and she was shot out. She wavs thrown out before Mr Williams and knew no more till flie found herself by a tree. A ft-er this she had the sense to feel she should 1 not shift much, as she was in a bad place. She niust have been unconscious but thought she'must have been sensible when night came.' She called, 1. out every times she thought- she heard 1 anyone pass. It war- fairly lights,when she came to and she dad not suffer much. Previous to this she had slipped from one tree to another. During the afternoon she tried to look to the base of the. bill butr coiild not. She passed the whole of the night and part of the nest day haiieing tree. She believed! Mr Williams wa.s killed outright, as to the condition of the body, there Ijeing terrible injuries to the liead._ Jud- , ging by the-marks fit'appeared ajs if the car hiad been turned * tlie wrong way, cauwnrr it to back oiver the side of tlie hill. Witness felt sure that if ii protecting fence had been there the accident would not have occurred. Tlie roadi was wide at the spot, and there, ivnis plenty of room foil- another car .to pass. , .■■■.■■ '^ : - ! A verdict was returned' that the dieleased met bin death by accidentally. Toing over the" hank of the Paekakarikti hill in a motor car. A rider was added tliat'this fatal ao- . ■ cident and the narrow escapes which" have been previously recorded Show the necessity for ;i protecting fence being erected on tlie steep and danegroup part of the hill, and it is hoped the local body in charge will ■ take steps to* prevent' a recurrence of any futur© fatality. ( . ' „