RANGIOTU BRIDGE FATALITY
CORONIAL INQUIRY.
'The adjourned inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the fatality at the Rangiotu road bridge on the night of August 16 last, whereby Mrs C. H. Withers and her two young sons lost their lives through the car in which they were travelling crashing through a picket fence and plunging down the steep bank into the Oroua river, was resumed at the Palmerston North Courthouse yesterday before the Coroner, Mr. A. J. Graham. Sergeant Power conducted proceedings on behalf of the police. It will be remembered that the bodies of the two boys—Leonard Peria Withers, aged 5, and Jack Herbert Withers, aged 12 —were found on separate occasions, the former on September 24 and the latter on September 26, the inquest which was formerly opened after the discovery of the first body being adjourned sine die. In the meantime no trace has been found of the body of Mrs Withers.
John Edward B. Lewis, photographer, of Palmerston North, gave formal evidence of identification of the body of the elder boy. Charles Herbert Withers, plumber’s merchant, of Palmerston North, deposed that, on the night of the fatality, he was returning to Palmerston North by car, being accompanied bv his wife and two boys. On approaching the Rangiotu bridge he was travelling at about 15 miles an hour, and his headlights picked up the railway bridge situated about half-a-chain from the road bridge. Continuing on in the belief that the first-named structure was the road bridge, he suddenly perceived a picket fence in front of him and immediately applied the brakes. However, he was 100 near the fence for, the brakes to stop Hie car, and, with the fence failing to slop the vehicle, it plunged over into the river. His wife and two hoys were in the back seat at the time, and on the car becoming submerged, he made endeavours to locate his family, but without success. The next thing that he remembered was freeing himself and being pulled out of the river.
, In reply -to the Coroner, witness . staled that he had previously drivi en over the bridge, but not at night. Ray Parkinson, blacksmith, of ! Long-burn, gave evidence that, on : the evening of the fatality, he was ; stopping with friends at a nearby ■ house, and, being told of a crash at , the bridge, went out and saw Mr. Withers struggling on the bank. ; After assisting him to safety, witness was told of the accident, but could find no trace of the bodies. The car was recovered the following day. The river at. the time was in iiood, and the bank at thespot where Mr. Withers over is 20 feet high. William Kilpatrick, engineer, of Palmerston North, deposed that he had been accompanying Mr. Withers, but in another car, and at the time of the fatality was in advance of the ill-fated car. After the bridge had been passed, witness had noticed that Mr. Withers was not following him, and, after a brief stop, went back to see what had happened. Arriving at the bridge lie was told that the car had plunged over the bank and a minute or two later had seen Mr Withers in company with Mr Parkinson. The bodies of Mrs Withers and the, two boys could not be seen and, although the car was located, it was impossible to g§t it out of the river that night. The following day, when it mas removed,' there mas no bodies in it and the side curtains had been torn away. Witness assisted in a systematic search for the bodies for several weeks, but, personally, was not successful. He had had a somewhat similar experience to Mr. Withers when driving bis car one night previously, just pulling up with his headlights touching the palings of the fence; consequently, on the night of the accident lie had been on the lookout for the proper approach to the bridge. Since the accident the approach had been made much safer. Constable Ryan, stationed at Fqxton, gave formal evidence concerning the recovery of the two bodies from the Manawatu river at Moutoa, 25 to 30 miles from the scene of the tragedy. CORONER’S VERDICT 1
In returning a verdict that the two boys had accidentally been drowned, the coroner said that the accident was quite apparently due to an error of judgement on the part of Mr. Withers in mistaking the approach to the railway bridge as that for the traffic bridge, and, further, that at the time of the accident there was an element 'of danger at the locality. It was, however, satisfactory to find from, the evidence that steps had been taken to endeavour to prevent a recurrence of such accidents. Addressing Mr. Withers, the coroner assured him of the heartfelt sympathy , of the district, and expressed the hope that the trip he was contemplating would, in some measure, restore him to health.
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Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 2992, 30 January 1926, Page 2
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818RANGIOTU BRIDGE FATALITY Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 2992, 30 January 1926, Page 2
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