CAR LEAVES ROAD

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 544, 30 May 1933, Page 5

CAR LEAVES ROAD

Own Gorresponderit.)

DRIVER BADLY HliRT now lying unconscious in hospital at "v . opotiki SERIOUS ACCIDENT

(From Our

Opotiki; Monday. Regmald Ashby, of Wellington, whp is thought to he a commercial traveller emplpyed by S. W. Patterson and Company, Wellington, was the vic-" tim of a seriotis accident yesterday morning when the two seater car which he -was driving, left the road - and turned a Complete somersault, Mr Ashby receivirig severe scalp and face wounds and the car being badly damr aged. The cause of the accident is not. yet known as Mr. Ashby is lying unconscious in the Opotiki Hospital. It appears that he was proceeding down the Kukumoa Hill about 2h miles from Opotiki and had just passed a cream lorry and was r'eturning to the correct side of the road,- wheri, for some unaccountable reasori thc car left the road, falling down a bank of about four feet and turnirig a somersault in the process. The windscreen and steering wheel were' completely smashed and the head lamps were dariiaged, a cushion from the dickey seat was flung over the ferice and papers and samples were seattered all round the car. "Unfortunately neither of the doCtors resident in Opotiki were avajlable, one being awajr^Tn Audkland, and the other attending a serioris operation which' he was unable to leave. These facts were made known at the cffice of the "Morning Post" within a few minutes of the accident and it immediately communicated witli Mr. G. Peagram of the R.M. Office who is the secretary of th'e local hranch of the St. John's Ambulance Associa-_ tion. He, in turn, called up the ne-arest members who left at once by car with stretcher and first aid requis-ites but although they reached the scene of the accident only 15 minutes after it had occurred, the riian had already been conveyed to the hospital. Credit is due, however, to this newly formed association for its promptitude in preparing for the emergency.