FATAL BUGGY ACCIDENT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, 1 February 1909, Page 2

FATAL BUGGY ACCIDENT.

THE INQUEST. The inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mrs Henry Eggers, who was killed as a result of a buggy accident at Upper Moutere on Thursday last, was held on Saturday morning at Mr Thomas', Upper Moutere Inn, before Mr J. H. Rankin, Act-ing-Coroner. Mr E. B. Moore watched the proceedings on behalf of Mr A. C. Maginnity, the driver of the motor car at which the deceased's horse took fright. Francis Herbert Eggers, son of deceased, who was driving the buggy at the time of tho accident, deposed tlwt on Thursday last he, together with E£ « ot . el ; and , Uvo sistore - le *t home for Motueka, about 10 o'clock in the morning. 0 n the return journey in the afternoon, with the same people in the trap, he met a motor (fr Witness was driving. On approaching, ths motor the horso showed no signs of shying and did not seem frightened until they were right up to and passing the motor car. Both -.-ore on the proper tide. The car was going ordinarily. Just as they were passing, the horse reared, swerved round, and capsized the cart. About ten yards past - the car pulled up. The car must have beeii under good control to pull up in the short time that it did. Mr Maginnity went to the accident at once, and shortly after went for tho doctor. Witness attended to the horse. When Mr Maginnity was gone for the doctor, witness and his sister righted the trap and placed deceased therein. It was a difficult task. Deceased was bleeding from the leg when they put her into the trap. Nothing was done to prevent the bleeding until they arrived at Mr Bensemann's. From the scene of the accident until they arrived at Bensemann's it was about ten minutes. Mrs Bensemann was in whe he brought his mother there, and when he brought his mother 'here. Witness said the horse was very frightened of motor cars, but ho did not feel very nervous when lie saw ths motor car approaching. He had no idea what caused the wound ou the deceased. The buggy went over on one wheel against the fence. Witness was thrown np by the horse. The horse was in the habit of playing up when there was a car about He did :ot hear ths car sound a horn. He saw the car fully a quarter of a mile before they met. So tar as he knew the car was driven carelully. Tho driver gave them plenty of room and he could not say that the dr yer of the car was in any wav fo blame for the accident. Dr Deck arrived in about half an hour, which was' a very .short t-'me. Deceased died about '■> c. clock the same day. To Mr Moor? : He did not remember •jm- -Maginnity saying tc nim to leave his mother where she was until he re-tji'-ned. He could not remember all that happened. Mr Maginn'ty assisted h-iii to i-i-rht the trap. To *he Jury: He did not give any warning to the motor man that the norse did not like cars. Arthur Charles Maginnitv. solicitor, ot *s»lscn, who was driving the car at th-* time, said that on Thursday last he whs driving from Nelson to Motueka. When on the road runnin c to tne Tower Moutere hi!N. abont fialtthe corner he passed a horse and trap, coming at right angles towards him Beloiu coming to the corner h e souuded H™ "Ti T' 1 , the °«cupani« of tho trap all looked across a paddock and saw him. To turn the car round the corner witness threw it out of gear, and it «as running free. He was going at abont six or seven miles an hour— i» would not have been more, and might have been a little less. After turning the c rner h epassed a horse and trap! Hitness watched the horse closely, but it showed no signs of fright. He kept as far over to his side as possible, Is (lis road was fairly narrow. After he had got past eight or nine yards he withfn Ih^' aDd , P n,led °P tho car within about a yard. He left tie ma ch.nery alowly running, and, seeing ™ 9 &L" pturned * r » shet l back - and a/ Mrs l.ggers appeared to bo n a daneerous posit-on witness Sfted her clefr of 1, l«"P «nd put her down three or !;' y e blo i d ' Deceased when first seen ™,'nt nder ' ha tra P* but it was not lesting on her. as it was propped up against the fence. After he lifted -away Mr Eggers and witness gh" ed the trap. The horse then cot od «top»ed Vr*- V™ »»**£«§ stopped the machinery in the car, as st\rted r t, S £- mcd '»£«««« «* H and ne *, h,i t^v^P- a ß ain > and wit»e.b nad to lift here further away Deceased was conscious then TIL :*m !l^?s I"* * h V-cond n -t im teh cce c Wt her \--n B F b ™ ken -" Witness „ , , Wlth her haod ie.;t : *irr otluYbauk nnd jumped into his ca? and ■»»"•> all haste to the telegraph office A* he was going, witness tailed out to t'-e youn.* man; suy here with he* I' h\?t - McSl^ h *° doctor.' t U be back in a few minutes." Wit. , new went to telegraph for Dr Deck '■tL il"' 1 sald to M r Thomas■^^"Vfi^rsa W-Tdnn't l >ol i ""■'* do anything' They foun d &?*■£ C ' oth€s aw V" the accident bTore^/le" watt fed" h" when th aVB W 0 st °P thebleed.W nioo7Tf d 't }"« Kh9 poTsfblv d H * t d "^ cve *yM»S be could s P t a ved y at Mr°^ ,Ye ■*"»*"«• Witness stayed at Mr Bensemann's until a quarter to su to see if he could be of 4 any further assistance, and did not proceed y^ l . on k* 5 J our ney. He had 17 months experience in the sam 6 car, and he was always over-cautious. If any sign had been given he would have stopped anywhere. The horse showed no r sign whatever of shying. /Henry O'Brien Deck, of Motueka, duly qualified medical practitioner, said that about ten minutes to four 1 p.m. ho got an urgent wire to go to the Upper Moutere, as there had been 1 a buggy accident. In a car he arrived at Mr Bensemann's at 4.25. He ' found deceased lying in bed. Her _face was" blanched, and it •as im- ' -possible to detect any pulsation in r the arteries. Deceased was gasping ■' for breath, although conscious. Oa examining her he found the bed eatu.rt*.ted with blood, which had evidently oarae from a wound under the left fciiee, which was not bleeding then. .Witness found that a strip of a sheet bad been lightly bound round the thigh above the wound. - He immediately tried to restore circulation, and • set to work to prepare suitable snpport for the leg. On examining the wound he found it extended right across the back of the knee for about four inches, and had evidently onto:'---;od the back part of the joint. The blood yessels and tendons were severed. Be stitched up the wound, and attended to her generally. Deceased never rallied, and gradually sank, until she died at 6.30. The cause of death was due to hemorrhage and shock. As a motorist himself he did not see how Mr Maginnity could havo done any more, or in any way avert-;! the accident. To Mr Moore: Mr Maginnity did everything a prudent motoriet could have done. Continuing, to Sergt. Dougan: It would have been better not to have moved "the decoased from where the •accident occurred. He was of opinion tjjat tho step had caused tho wound. I& verdict was returned to the effect thai; Mrs Eggers met her death Wjpilgh. an accident caused by the o^rfurning of a trap, tho hoxso of wii,i"jji took, fright at a motor car lm|-*£ rider was added that the driver of the cs>r was exctierated from any b ; ame whatever, he having taken eveiy precaution possible. Some of these interested in the inquest were conveyed to the Upper Moutere by Mr Sears in his Stuart car. Thp distance was covered in very good j time, and the return journey was covered ill 1 hour 4 minutes, *