VOGELTOWN FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1917, Page 6

VOGELTOWN FATALITY.

INQUEST ON y. C. GRIFFITHS. The adjourned inquest regarding the death of the six-year-old boy Victor Clinton Griffiths, who died in the New Plymouth hospital on October 20, was concluded yesterday afternoon by Mr. A. Crooke, coroner. Sergeant frehey conducted the case for the police, and Mr. A. H. Johnstone appeared on behalf of the owner of the motor cycle which knocked the boy down. Archie Cecil Hooker chemist's assistant, New Plymouth, said that on October 11 he was riding a motor-cycle along Carrington road, about 5.30 p.m., towards the town. He first noticed Mr. Hefford'n car on the road at a distance of about ISO yards. There was a group of two ladies, Mr. Hefford and a boy by the car. He kept on at between 7 and 10 miles an hour, but cut off power and ran down smoothly on the left side of the raod. at a slightly reduced speed when, nearing the party. The deceased was standing with Mr. Hefford by the side of the car, but when he was almost opposite the boy spun round and ran right into the cycle. There was no chance of averting the accident. He stopped his machine immediately. No warning was given, and be had no idea that the hoy would attempt to cross the road. To Mr. Johnstone: The motor car wa9 facing towards Vogeltown, Rlightly slew, ed to its left towards Mr. rfefford's gate. He first saw the ladies on the road, one of them with a go-cart, and both of them looked round while he was still some distance awav. Both started to cross the road to the rieht side, facing Vogeltown. bnt they had not reached the footpath when he got opposite the ear, and the boy and Mr. Hefford were standing near the back of the car. The boy turned sharply when the front wheel of the cycle was opposite, and apparently had an idea of crossing the road. He could not say definitely what part of the machine struck deceased. When the ladie9 saw him, one of them caught the boy's arm to take him across the road, while the other took the go-cart, and wan turning away when the first mentioned lady took hold of the boy a second time, but he did not move, and the two ladies started across the road without him. To the magistrate: The wheel did not strike the deceased, who ran into the body of the machine and was thrown down.

Henry Francis Hefford, taxi-driver, said he gave Misses Tooke and Blanchett, a little girl and the deceased a ride as far as his gate. The car was stopped pointing in towards the gate, and the rear part was slightly on the road, but there was plenty of room. The bov was standing with him near the car. He did not see or hear the motor-cvele till it was about four feet from the boy; it was travelling about 4 or 5 miles an hour. The boy started to run across the road fairly quickly. The deceased was struck by the centre part of the cycle. There would have been plenty of room for the cyclist to pass by if the boy had remained still; his car-did not block the road at all. Avcrill Daisy Tooke, domestic servant, residing at Vogeltown. said that while at Mr. Hefford's gate, she took the gocart from Mr. Hefford, and prepared it for the little girl, when Miss Blanchett said: "Look out. here comes a motorcycle; look out lor Clinton." The boy had walked about four yards along the left hand side of the road towards the town, and was standing looking at some children. The bicvele was,practically on them when Miss Blanchett called to her, and she saw that there was no chance of gelling to him. so called out to him to stand still.. Apparently the boy thought he had been told to run across the road, for he immediately ran towards the far footpath. In 'her opinion the motorcycle was travelling much too quickly, considerin? that the rider could see pedestrians on the road. The deceased was rolled along the road a few yards by the machine.

To the coroner: The boy's attention was taken by some children standing on the opposite side of the road, and he wobably did not see the cycle until it was almost on him—about four yards from him. The deceased ran about three vards from where he was standing to the point where he was struck. The motorcyclist certainly saw the boy. and tried to doda?e him. The speed of the motorcycle was not very much reduced. The machine took a zig-zag. course to avoid tne bov. Miss Winifred Blanchett also gave evidence. Ernest Alexander Walker, medical superintendent of the New Plymouth Hospital, deposed that deceased was admitted to the hospital unconscious and suffering greatly from shock and fracture of the left parietal bone. There were also conclusive signs of an extensive fracture of the base of the skull, and it was obvious that the injuries were very serious. Under treatment the child recovered sufficiently to render surgical measures possible and these were carried out on the 12th. The fracture of the tfault proved to be very extensive, covering an area of 4 1 /. inches by 3 inches, and fragments of the bone were driven into the brain substance. These were elevated, and treatment carried out on the usual lines. Improvement followed, and intervals of consciousness occurred, which became more continuous. From October 15 to 18 pneumonic symptoms were present, but on the 18th signs of basic meningitis appeared, and from then on the bov crew steadily worse, death occurring at 6.20 a.m. on October 20. The immediate cause of death was meningitis arising from the fractured base of the skull. ~ The coroner said that, apparently, the bov had misunderstood what he had been told to do, and had run into the cyclist. The evidence of two of the witnesses suggested that the motor-cycle was being ridden at an excessive speed, but that was countered by the evidence of the owner of the car. It was difficult to get tboroughlv reliable evidence in cases of this sort,'as witnesses, in thinking over the circumstances, were apt to confuse them. He would return a verdict that the deceased died at the hospital on October 20. as a result of injuries sustained on October 11, when he was accidentally knocked down by a motor-eycle, and added a rider that no blame was attachable to the motor cyclist.