BUCKLEY MOTOR FATALITY.

Shannon News, 24 December 1926, Page 3

BUCKLEY MOTOR FATALITY.

EVIDENCE AT THE x*. The inquest concerning the death of; Eoy Victor Bloomfield, who lost his life • in a motor accident, at Buckley on Sat- ’ nrday last, which was opened at Shan- ' non on Sunday, and adjourned after the svidcncG of Dr. Bell had heen taken, was resumed at Shannon yesterday be- . fore Mr A. Fraser, district coroner. Constable Blaikie represented the police and Mr Mazengarb, of Wllington, was present on Mr Lavin’s behalf. Joseph Patrick Lavin, commercial agent, residing at Lyall Bay, Wellington, stated that he came through Shannon driving a motor car oh Saturday, December 18th. Owing to a disinflated (tyre he stopped beyond the corner in Ballance street to repair it. When he was ready to start away Bloomfield approached him and enquired if he was going through to Levin and if so would he give him a lift. It was then,' he thought, probably between 5 three and four o’clock. He told him to jump up and they /started away. Everything went well until they approached the decline past the Buckley, road. He then saw a car some distance ahead coming down the hill towards them. He lost /sight of it at the curves. ;He pulled well out to his left approaching the bend in order to avoid the car. His car then appeared to skid and he endeavoured to make a recovery, but it appeared to witness that he could not get any steering way in the front wheels. 1 He believed the car he had seen passed, him at this stage. He did not seem to be able to control the car and: he felt the car heel over. He remembered nothing more until he thought of the man he had picked up. At the time of the accident he estimated he was travelling at the rate of 10 ,t.o 35 miles per hour. He had slowed down at the turn apd had sounded the horn at the cornhr. He heard no horn sounded by the other car. Could not say if he was in the car when it reached the bottom of the bank. Did not remember anything until he thought of the man he had picked up. The other car appeared to be 1 approaching fairly fast. He could not be positive as' to whether his car was struck by the other car or whether it skidded. It appeared to him at the time that his car had ■ been struck. After he had picked himself up and remembering he/ had a passenger he ran round the car and found Bloomfield lying beneath the car in a creek, at the rear part of the car. He held deceased’s head above the water and tried to attract attention for help. After what appeared to be some considerable time, someone came and raised the car and he extricated Bloomfield from the creek, removing him on to the bank. He could see that Bloomfield was unconscious, but he auneared to be breathing and there was froth around his mouth. .Witness stayed with him until the doctor arrived. Aftr the latter had examined him, witness heard the doctor say' to someone that Bloomfield was dead. Witness, then returned to the hotel at Shannon with the doctor. He had been driving a motor car for about fifteen years and during that time had never mot with a serious accident. He held a driver’s license issued in Wellington. In reply to a question as to whether he had-had any drink that day, he stated that he had one light shandy at. Shannon when he stopped to repair the . tyre.' This was the, only drink he had daring the day. Fanny Elizabeth Bowler, residing at corner of Buckley road and main south road, stated that on the evening of Dec. 18th, between 4.30 and 4.35 p.m. she was sitting on her verandah when she heard a crash. She looked out to see if a ear was travelling up the hill towards Levin. She did not see the car and then ran to the high bank above the road. She saw a man coijie round the corner as she looked over and he appeared to be in trouble. He appeared to be excited and was taking off his coat. Thinking an accident had occurred she returned and called her son to go and see if anything was wrong He came back almost immediately to get' help from the' rest of the family, who were busy milking at the time. She went down to the scene later, but did not speak to Lavin. He appeared to be sober;

Samuel Peter Bowler, carpenter, employed at Mangahao, stated that on the 18th December he was at his parents ’ residence at the corner of Buckley an I Levin road. He was. informed by his mother that an accident must have happened on the road. He immediately proceeded to the top of the bank and along the road, where he 1 saw a car lying in the drain at the bottom of the opposite bank, and a man holding up the head of another man in the drain. He then went to the road where a ear went past towards Levin, but he could not stop it. The Levin bus was coming along the road and this he stop ped. He went down to the car with the driver of the bus and another man. They tried to get thp deceased out, but could not lift the car. Witness then returned to the house and informed his father and brother, afterwards returning to the car. The deceasd was then removed from underneath the car. When witness went down Lavin was standing in the drain. The deceased was unconscious and appeared to be breathing. Mr Lavin appeared to be suffering from shock, but there was nothing about him to suggest that he had been drinking. To Mr Mazengarb: The second curve past the crossing he considered to be dangerous owing to the bank not being cut away and the growth of trees and shrubs. 1

James Bowler, ■ farmer, residing at Buckley, stated that on the day in question, at about 4.30 p.m., he was informed that an accident had occurred at the corner of the road below liis house. He immediately proceeded to the spot and found a motor tar overturned in the creek. Saw deceased lying on the bank. Also saw Mr Lavin who was excited and suffering i from shock. He was strictly sober and there was no sign of liquor about him. The car would be about 25 feet down the bank, which was fairly steep. The width of the road metal where the ac-

cident actually happened would be about 12 to 14 feet. He examined ,the road carefully and could see where a car had skidded well out on the corner and had conitnued on the edge of the road until it went over the bank. He was- of opinion the corner was a dangerous one. There had been several minor accidents. This could be remedied by the bank on t'he top side of ’ the road being cut back. It was covered by bushes which also obscured' the road. At the present tip-e it was almost impossible, to see them until one was . right on them, j Hugh Blaikie, police constable, stationed at Shannon, stated that at about 5.15 p.m. on December 18th, ; he received information. that an accident had happened on the .Main South road. He immediately proceeded towards Levin and the junction of the Buckley and main road. At the corner he saw a motor car lying in the drain, having fallen about 25 feet from , the road. He found the body of a man on the bank. He immediately returned to Shannon and there saw Lavin, the driver of the motor car. He was sUtfering severely from sbtek. Witness advised him to stay in Shannon and he would see him’’ later. He then returned to the scene of the accident and conveyed the body of deceased to Shannon. The motor car. was considerably, damaged, the back tyre on the right hand side and the front tyre on the left hand side were punctured. Or. examining the road he found that the car had kept wide out from *the corner, and the marks appeared as if the wheels had skidded. This continued for about 15 feet on, the loose metal, and for about another 15 feet on the grass to where the ear left the road. The left hand side* wheels had run along the bank from the bank edge for several feet, which would make it practically impossible to regain the road. The width of the. road and the watertable to the edge of the grass at this corner is about 21 feet. He considered this corner to be dangerous. The identity of the deceased was unknown until the arrival of Stanley Eldridge Bloomfield, contractor, of Morrinsville, who on December 21st, identified deceased 'as being his brother, Roy Victor Bloomfield. THE VERDICT. The following verdict was returned “That Roy Vietor Bloomfield came to his death on Saturday, the 18th December, on the Main South road, near the junction of Buckley road, accidentally by the overturning of a motor car in falling down a bank, no blame being attachable to anybody.” The coroner added a rider: “That this is a dangerous corner and the Highways Board or controlling authority should take steps to improve same. ”