THE OROUA DOWNS TRAGEDY

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4513, 4 October 1930, Page 4

THE OROUA DOWNS TRAGEDY

CORONER’S VERDICT. A verdict in accordance with medical evidence, with a rider that death was received through injuries, sustained when she was knocked down by a car negligently driven by Charles J. D. Skinner was returned by the Coroner, Air. A. J. Graham, at an inquest held at Palmerston North on Thursday on Betty Albrey, a 7 years old girl, who died at the Palmerston North Hospital. Charles John Dunbar Skinner, driver of the ear, said that on September T 5 he was driving his car along the iSanson-Himatangi Road when he passed a double grader at a speed, which he estimated to be about 20 miles per hour. He sounded his horn as lie passed the grader. Ho saw several children on the grass on the side of the road, about a chain or two away. As soon as lie was abreast of them, a little girl ran out in front of his ear. Tie immediately' swerved to the right, and almost missed the child, one of his front bumpers just catching her below the thigh and knocking her on to her knees and head. When he saw the girl, lie did not apply his brakes, and he could not swerve to the lift, or otherwise lie would have collided with tlifc other children.

To Air. Ongley, he said that even if he had applied his brakes he could not have stopped in time. Evidence was given by William Gilbert Hope, who was working on I lie tractor. Hope said’that when the car hit the girl it threw her into the air, a ncV she ’ landed on her head. He estimated the speed of the car to lie from 30 to 35 miles per hour when it passed the grader. If the car had kept a straight course instead of swerving to the right it would have missed the girl Corroborative evidence was given by Henry Lyttelton, also employed on the grader.