AWAHURI MOTOR ACCIDENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2561, 29 March 1923, Page 3

AWAHURI MOTOR ACCIDENT.

CORONIAL INQUIRY,

Mr J. L. Stout, SAL, District, Coroner, yesterday held an inquiry into the death of Mrs Alice Karipa, aged 24 years, which occurred as the result of a motor accident on the Awahuri Road on Friday night. Medical evidence was given by Dr. G. A. Forrest, superintendent of the Palmerston North Hospital, as to the admission of the deceased to the hospital at 10.30 o’clock on Friday night. She had a very largo scalp wound and a fractured pelvis. She was injured internally and an operation was performed on Saturday morning, but woman expired the following morning. Shock and haemorrhage following the fracture of the pelvis were the causes of death.

Evidence was given by the husband of the deceased, Herbert Karipa, a labourer, residing at Awahuri, that he was engaged by William J. Davis, a farmer, of Rongotea, to work on the latter’s farm. Davis took witness in the car to Awahuri on Friday evening to pick up his wife and three children. Mr George Ross was also in the car. Davis was driving.' Witness, Ross and the three children were sitting in the back seat, whilst Mys Karipa was in front. When going up A’Court’s Hill the car started to jerk and the rear wheels seemed to skid. They got- on the grass on the left hand side of the road, and in spite of the endeavours of the driver to regain the road, the car did not respond and crashed into the bridge. Nobody was thrown out of the car. The front side door collapsed inwards and witness believed struck

his wife. To Senior-Sergeant Fraser: All were perfectly sober. They would be travelling about 10 to 15 miles an hour just before the accident. William J. Davis, the driver of

the motor car, said he was a farmer, residing at Rongotea. When getting near the bridge, witness considered that lie would be going at about 15 miles an hour. “I went to feed the car to get up the hill, but it would not respond and stared to jump, going to the side of the road I did my best to hold on to it, but it would not answer (he wheel,” he said. At this time he had the front wheels right over the centre of the road. The bridge caught the front door and the running board. He could not say how far the car had skidded. Tt was dark and witness had Mrs Karipa and the children to look after. Witness said he had no idea he was so rear the bridge, and the car had practically stopped when he struck. A statement made by George Ross at the hospital, was read. Stephen Boyd, a foreman mechanic employed at Adams’ garage, deposed that, in response to a telephone message on Friday night, he went to the scene of the accident. The car was standing right on the bridge, alongside the parapet. The running board was smashed and also the wind-screen. There were numerous other portions of the car damaged. Witness examined the locality next morning and found that from some distance back, t'he left wheel of the car had been running on the grass. About 20 yards from the bridge an attempt had been made by the driver to bring the car to the centre of the road but owing to the grass and the incline, the steering gear apparently did not answer. The car travelled about 10ft. after the first impact. That concluded the evidence, after which the coroner found in accordance with the medical testimony. m> blame being attachable to the driver of the car.