RUATANGATA TRAGEDY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 101, 20 July 1927, Page 9

RUATANGATA TRAGEDY

ADJOURNED INQUEST STORY OF EYE-WITNESS (From Our Oxen Correspondent.) WHANGAREI, To-day. The adjourned inquest touching the death of Gilbert Rumba! and George Thorburn on the Ruatangata railway crossing, was held before Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., today. AV. Thompson, assistant traffic manager, and Mr. A. Burns, stationmaster, Whangarei, watched, the proceedings on behalf of the New Zealand Railway Department. Archibald Crump, Hikurangi, said he was sitting at the crossing waiting for a bus and saw both deceased leave Rumbal’s house and walk to the little garage near the line. After which they backed the little car on to the road Rumbal was driving the car, which came to a standstill a few yards In front of the crossing. He heard the engine whistle and then saw the car move on. It seemed as if the men in the car heard the whistle and stopped slightly and then moved on again. Witness then heard a second blast of the whistle and could see what was going to happen and' screamed out a warning. Witness was under the impression that deceased saw the engine as they appeared to stop momentarily. The impact then occurred and the car was carried 20 yards past the cattle {tops.

Visibility was bad, there being only dawn half-light. He did not notice my fog in the vicinity. In full dayight there was nothing to obscure the vision of the car-driver from this spot. Clive V. Kerr, engine-driver on the train, deposed that he passed Ruatangata station at a speed of 20 to 25 miles an hour and blew a long whistle approaching the station 300 yards from the crossing. He again blew when 120 yards distant, when the line was clear. The engine was partly over the crossing and the line was still clear when on looking down from the cab he saw two wheels of the motor-car almost under the engine. He applied the emergency brakes and brought the train to a standstill in its own length. ,The car was carried bodily over the cattle stops and crushed between the engine and the bank and then thrown on the left side of the rails. The car was smashed to pieces. The light was clear and there was no headlight burning on the engine. The white fence and the gate leading to the station yard obstruced the view of a car from an engine approaching the cross-

T. J. M. Mills, fireman, corroborated this evidence. Dr. Brunnette, of Whangarei Hospital, examined deceased on admittance Rumbal was semi-conscious and suffering from shock and severe injuries, including the right leg fractured in several places, his foot crushed and pelvis fractured. Apparently he had severe internal injuries, probably the rupture of one or both kidneys.

Thorburn was unconscious and suffered from shock, concussion and a linear fracture of the skull. His condition was fair till 11 o’clock when he rapidly became worse and expired at 11.20 from shock, following on a fracture of the skull and laceration of the brain. The coroner will examine the localty and give his verdict later.