ALARMING COACH ACCIDENT

Te Aroha News, Volume XII, Issue 1769, 11 September 1895, Page 2

ALARMING COACH ACCIDENT

Paeroa, Saturday. Quite a sensation was caused in Paeroa to-day when it became known that the ’Waihi-Paeroa coach, loaded with passengers, ha.d met with an accident, and that as a. result some of them had been : seriously injured. Though bad enoiigji matters were not quite so serious as at first stated, and only two persons out of nine have been disabled.

It appears that the coach, which left Waihi this morning at eight -o’clock, had nine persons on board, including the driver, Mr J. O’Donnell. All went well until reaching what is known as Earl’s Hill, a steep and, somewhat lengthy piece of Toad leading down, to Owharoa. Here, however, the break failed to act, and as the coach commenced to travel down the hill at a good pace without hindrance it.kept continually on the heels of the. horses until the later, five in number,'assumed control, and -do>yn.-.the •hill they. ’flew at a maddened gallop. The driver meanwhile stuck pluck ily to the reins, and though ho' could do nothing to subdue the pace of his team, he managed by skilful driving to successfully manipulate the numerous sharp bends in the road, until the last turn at the bottom’of the hill bad been reached. At this point, however, the bend was rather sharp, andi in swerving his horses to clear a big bridge the coach capsized, throwing the occupants on the bank.

The 'passengers, though terrified, manifested the greatest confidence in Mr O’Donnell, and fortunately they all escaped without serious injury, with the exception of Mr W. Hatton, who, it appears, was on his ‘way to the Thames to be, married. ; He had a very nasty fail, and as a result received a fracture of the collarbone. The driver, also, was injured, his ankle having been’ dislocated. Mr Bush, a resident of Hamilton, who was . also a passanger, had a narrow escape of being killed, some of the luggage, struck him on the head ■whilst,he was jammed in some waljjr between, the wheel and the bank. He w;as unconscious for some time after the affair, but when he came to, it was found that beyond a severe shaking and a-few cuts on his face, he was not otherwise injured. .He afterwards .proceeded' on to Te Aroha. Three of the horses from the vehicle, and were captured on the Owharoa Road. The coach, which is the property- of D. Campbell, is now lying on the roadside, and is a complete wreck. Although, when it is considered the dangerous piece of road that the coach travelled over so rapidly, it is a marvel that the runaway horses were kept on the’ road all the way, and there is no doubt that the safety of the passengers is due to the great coolness and expert management of the horses evinced by O’Donnell. The road is well-known to be dangerous, and it is only about three or four years ago that a man and team of horses went over one of the banks, and were,; consequently, killed. .The injured passengers were attended to at Owharoa, by Dr Wright, of Waihi, who was telephoned for, and they are now doing as well as can be expected. The Rev W. L. Salter, Mr Frank Smith, and others, were to have by this coach, but, as it was.over crowded, they followed in a buggy and so escaped. Their buggy was just behind the coach in desconding the hill, so that fortunately they were on the spot to assist the injured passengers.