MOTOR CYCLE ACCIDENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 October 1917, Page 7

MOTOR CYCLE ACCIDENT.

INQUEST ON THE VICTIM. _ Tho adjourned inquest touching tho jdeath. of Mrs. Rose Hill, of New Plymouth, was concluded yesterday before Mr. A. Crookej Coroner. Sub-Inspector Button conducted the case for the police, and Mr. H. R. Billing watched tho proceedings on behalf of the deceased's relatives. Mr. J. C. Morrison, of Eltliam, appeared on behalf of Mr. J. G. Moffett. Dr E. A. Walker, medical superintendent of the New Plymouth Hospital, deposed as to admitting Mrs Hill on the evening of September 9. She was suffering greatly from shock, the result of the following injuries: Compound fracture of the lower jaw, fracture of the ulna of the left forearm, and comminuted fracture of both bones of the right leg. She responded well to tile methods adopt-, ed, and on the forenoon of September 10 an anaesthetic was administered and the several injuries treated in appropriate manner. Subsequently her progress was .favorable until the morning of Septternber 15, when she suddenly became very faint and cyonosed, the pulse was very rapid and feeble. Tho attack was of the nature of a syncope. Further examination showed the first sounds of the heart to be of poor quality, an indication of degenerative changes in the mus-' ele. Improvement ejisued in all respects. The fractures were uniting satisfactorily, and the state of the mouth was all that could be desired under the circumstances. On the morning of September <24, at about 7 a.m., she expressed herself as feeling very well indeed, and her appearance confirmed the statement. Ten minutes later, quite suddenly, she complained of profound exhaustion. Her pulse rose rapidly, becoming uncountable, and later imperceptible. All measures to restore the heart's action were unavailing, and she died at 7.25 a.m. The cause of death was syncope, a direct result of the diseased state of the heart. •The accident was not directly responsible for that event. The direct cause was the condition of the heart).

To the Coroner: The effects of the accident had already been recovered from. Probably the accident had a remote relationship in association with the heart •symptoms developed, Sub-Inspector Hutton: I understand that the injuries caused by the accident, 'did not cause death?— That is so. • John 'Pentecost, inspector of the New Plymouth tramways, deposed that on September 9 he was riding from the Breakwater on « car which arrived a 8 the Egmont street corner at 4.17 p.m. The car came to a stop and he alighted and stood on the Grand Central corner. 'He saw a motor cycle with side car attached practially at a standstill coming from Devon street and apparently turning into Egmont street. At the same .moment a seond motor cycle struck the side car attached to the first. He could not say from what direction the second machine came. Mrs. (Hill was in the side car. He did not know at the time •who was riding the other cycle but had since learned that it was a Mr. Moffett. Mr. Hill and his mother were between the two tram tracks on the ■corner of Devon and Egmont streets. •Mr. Hill cut the corner too sharply to. comply with the New Plymouth by-laws. He took measurements, and the distance 'from the spot where the accident occurred to the kerbing was approximately •14 feet.

The tramcar wa3 stopped in such a position that the people in Devon street East could see the front of the car. Mrs. Hill was seriously injured, but was not thrown out of the car. She was thrown on to one eide of the chair as far as he could see. Mr. Hill was not hurt. Both •machines were badly damaged, Moffett's being the worst. The side-car was considerably twisted about. To the Coroner.: He was not prepared 'to say that had Mr. Hill complied with' the New Plymouth by-laws the accident would not have occurred.

To Mr. Billing: Hill's machine was not at a standstill but was .practically so, He saw him just at tho moment of the accident. He wa9 then between the two tram lines. There was ample room as far as the tram was concerned. He could not say if Mr. Moffett's cycle jumped up on the side-car. As a result of the impact the two machines were left ftbr.nt 3ft from the kerbing on the left side looking towards Fitzroy. The motor cycle and side-car were taken in towards the kerbing about lift as a result of tho collision. Hill'B machine was Stwiited round so that they then faced the Post Office.

To Mr. Morrison: There were people getting off the tram, hut they were mostly on 'the footpath.

Sub-Inspector Hutton: Th,e accident carried the machines i Ift. This would indicate the rate of speed at which .Moffett was travelling.—l presume so. Continuing, witness said he did not see Moffett until the moment of the collision. It happened immediately after lie •alighted from the tram. There nothing to obstruct Moffett's view. The tram and the two motor cycles were the only vehicles on the road.

Charles Leslie Rawlinson, joiner's ap-! prentice, said that at the time of the ac j •cident he was standing at the corner o% Devon and Egmont streets talking to a Mr. Rider. There were no vehicles in lithe road. Mr. Moffett came over the hill on the left side of the road going towards Devon street east. He was travelling at between 20 and 25 miles an hour. He remarked to his friend about the rate the - machine was travelling. Just as Moffet was at the intersection of Devon and Egmont streets lie saw Mr. Hill driving a motor cycle with a sidecar attached. A lady was in the sidecar. When he first saw him, Mr. HiU was coming from Devon street east and going round into Egmont. street at about four miles an hour. He believed Hill's machine was about Mt from the kerb. Hill was on the wrong side of the road. Moffett came straight down the street from the .Post Office, and appeared to be trying to keep on the left side of Hill, but the latter was too much to Moffett's right, and he, Moffett, swerved to his right to try to avoid him, and in doing so he struck the side-car. Moffett did not reduce speed till he was within a few feet, that is, till lie reached Egmont street.

Sub-Inspector Hutton: If a proper detour had been made, would the accident have happened?--I could not say. - ' It was a matter of seconds/ Witness was a motor cyclist himself and a judge of speed within a few miles.

Arthur Rider, assistant in the New Plymouth tramsheds, deposed that on Sunday afternoon at about 4.15 he was talking to the last witness at the corner of Devon and Egmont streets. He saw Mr. Hill coming from the direction of Fitzroy towards Egmont street. When he first saw him, Mr. Hill was about a chain from Egmont street, and was; travelling at about four miles an hour; Ha was then between the two sets of tram rails. Moffett was coming from the other direction. He was then near the White Hart Hotel, and wu on his proper

side, travelling at not leas than 2o miles an hour. There was no other traffic except tho two motor cycles coming from different directions and the tram car in Egmont street. He saw no persons getting off the car and crossing the Btreet at the time. Mr. Hill seemed to be turning into Egmont street, and was on the wrong side of the road. Moffett rode sraight on to his proper side. The two machines collided right in front of them, and Mrs. Ilill was seriously injured. The machines wero driven by the force of the collision towards the footpath. This would indicate the speed at which Mofi'ett was travelling. He was a motor cyclist himself and had remarked on Mofi'ett's speed. He heard no warning horns sounded by either party. Frank Patterson, clerk, said he was standing on the Grand Central corner, and saw Uov Hill coming from Devon street east at a very moderate speed in the middle of the road. Molfett was coming down 011 the left side of the road at about 20 miles an hour. There was no vehicular traffic in the street except a tram car at the corner of Egmont street, which wonhl hn v i> been observed by either party. Mr. Hill appeared 1 be turning into Egmont street us he approached the corner. A child was standing in front of the car a little to the Tight. As Mr. Hill was endeavoring to turn into Egmont street a motor cyclist came down the hill and crashed into the side-car. Nio warning horns were sounded. Ab he approached the corner Mr. Hill appeared to cut it rather sharply, 'He believed this was done to avoid the accident. Ho could .not say if Moffett Slackened speed. He did not see him' do anything to avoid the accident.

• To the Coroner: The position of tho tram in no way contributed to the accident.

• Edward Pearson Roy Hill, son of the ■deceased, deposed that he left his 'home a few minutes after four. He was riding the cycle and his mother occupied the side-car. He came round Eliot street into Devon street and proceeded towards the Breakwater on the left side of the road and coming down lower Devon street on the left tram line. As he approached Egmont street he looked up Devon street but saw no one. He saw the tram and a child running behind it. The cycle was put on the low gear, and as he was nearing the corner the child ran out from behind the tram to try to get across ahead of him. He immediately pulled in nearer to the tram so as to go behind the child, when a motor eyelo crashed into the fore portion of the side-car. He was thrown from his cycle iby the force of the collision, and when he got up and looked round the side-car and cycle were almost under the Coffee Palace verandah at the corner, and the machine was pointing almost straight across the road. When struck his machine was not travelling at four miles per hour. When turning the comer he had his hand on the horn, but could not remember sounding it. Cross examined by Mr. Morrison witness said that all his attention was taken up by the girl. He first saw her run behind the car and then come out on the other side. He could not say whether ■the child started from the pavement or alighted from the car. John Goodwillee Moffett, hairdresser, Eltliam, said that on September 9 he was coming down Devon street from the White Hart Hotel. He was travelling at a moderate speed, and he •would not be afraid to pass a constable at that speed. All that he could see was a motor cyclist coming in the opposite direction on his proper side. He appeared to be coming straight up the street, but when ho (witness) neared the Eg/nont street corner, he seemed to turn straight across the road on to his wrong side. Had he taken the corner with a Wide turn there Would have been no accident. Also when he reached the corner, he appeared to slacken his pace to half of his previous speed. Before he could avoid the collision he caught the side-car. He was riding a heavy niiTchine, and this would account for the manner in which Hill's car were twisted, round. No horns Were blown.

Cross examined by Mr. Billing: If Hill had taken a wider turn witness might have got past. Sub-Inspector Hutton: Were the estimates of the other witnesses correct? — Well, it is a hard thing to judge speed correctly. Sub-Inspector Hu:'con: Do you know tho by-law respecting traffic ?—Yes. Were you exceeding the speed limit?— I should say not. I had shut off the engine coming down tho hill.

The -coroner said that in view of the medical evidence it was not necessary for him to come to a conclusion as to who was responsible for the accident. However, lie thought it perhaps best that he should express an opinion. In the first place it was conceded that the tram did not in any way contribute to the accident. As to Hill, the exidence showed that lie was coming down from Devon street on his left side. He admitted making a narrow sweep round the corner, but stated that he did so in order to avoid a child who had run out from the end of the tram. As to Moffett, there was no doubt that he was coming down the hill from the Post Ofllce too fast. Twenty or 25 miles an hour was far too fast a rate, and it would be impossible him to ltfive proper control in that contingency. It was shown that Hill had slowed down to four miles an hour and the only tiling to which exception could be taken was that he took too narrow a sweep. However, it was not material whether he found that anyone was responsible in view of Dr. Walker's evidence. He returned a formal verdict accordingly in which it was stated that the injuries received were not the cause of death, which was due to heart failure.