OVER A CLIFF

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 721, 22 December 1933, Page 5

OVER A CLIFF

(Press Assn.

inqujeist regarding the oorsiar bay accident accidental death

By Telegraph — Copyright),

Christchurch, Thursday. A fatal car smash at Corslair Bay on Deeember 3, when- Mys. Jessie . Harris (30), was killed and. George Stant (8), and Kevin Stant (6), were serioujsly i|njur-ed, was kirvestigated by Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., at an inquest this morning. The car plunged 200 feet over a cliff from the roiad above the hay. The driver was D. Ludecke, a factory overseer. James Shukar, an eye-witness, said the car was pulled up at first, then went slowly h.ackwards . off the road on to a level bank at th'e edge of a cliff. The oar stop'ped for six seconds near a wire fence, and the woman and two boys made to get out, when suddenly the car went backwards at 10 miles an hour, .and crashed through the fence- and over the cliff. It appeared to witness as if the driver had made a mistake in putting his fbot on the-accelerator instead of the clutch. There was no reason why the car should have gone over the cliff. . . .. , , David Ludecke, driver, gave evidence that the car was running perfectly on the trip from Governor's Bay to Lyttelton. At Rbcky Point he decided to park th'e car, .intepding to go down to the beach. After turning the corner he stopped to . see if everythinig was cl'ear. He put the car in reverse, and baeked ,towqi;ds. the fence without any trouble. Then he put ori the brake. However, the car did not stop save for a h'alf-secbnd, and went over the bank. It seemed to gather speed as it weht. downhill. Wfitness could not aceount ,fdr the jaccidemt. Wlitnbss. di^ nbt haye & driver's lic'ense. .He . had . not .driven