A SERIES OF ACCIDENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 November 1917, Page 4

A SERIES OF ACCIDENTS.

No less than four .accidents occurred within the space of # few hours in or near New Plymqntb, on Saturday afternoon, but fortunately: only one person was seriously injured. , THROWN OUT OP MOTOR CAR. A motor party driven by Mr. J. Allen, of Tikorangi, had a harrow escape from fierious injury at about fire o'dock. Mr. Allen was driving Mrs. Allen and her mother (-Mrs. Marsh) home, and just as the car was rounding the bend at the bottom of the hill near ithe golf links, the steering gear appears to have failed, with the result that the ear, a very heavy model, ran across the road, and. came to a stop, being fcartlatiy turned over, with the fore part hanging over a bank some fifteen feet in height- MrR. /Hen was thrown out of the ear. and received a very severe shaking and extensive bruises, but sustained no fractures. The others of the party escaped (vith a shaking. Mr. R, T. MeQuade., who happened to be returning from the Jtolf links in his car, p]oked up Mrs. Allen and took her to the public hospital, where she is making very satisfactory progress. The fore iaift of the car was considerably damaged, the front axle being badly bent and twisted, and it war not possible yesterday to obtain a lorry, to bring it into town for repairs.

RUN DOWN IN THE STREET.

Mr. E. A. Anderson, of Courtenay street, was the victim of & regrettable Accident in Devon street, a few minuteg after six o'clock. He i alighted from an Eliot street tramoar. at the corner ot Devon and Gover streets, and immediate. !y walked round the back of the tram and started across the road. Mr. L, Clarke, of the National Insurance Co., was driving his ear into town from Fitz* roy, and was unable to avoid running into Mr. Anderson, knocking him down. He was rendered unconscious, but oa coming round was taken tb\hia residence, being later removed to the hospital. His condition is not serious, his injuries con* sisting of bruises and contusions of the jaw and left leg. GIG SHAFTS SNAP. • Mr. W. J. Prentice, a waterside work* er residing in Wallath Lane, Westown, his wife and two children left home in a light gig for town shortly after seven, o'clock in the evening, Mrs. Prentice driving. When nearing ■.the' Old People's Home, both ■ shafts, snapped off short, letting down the front of the gig violently, and throwing the occupants out on to the road. One boy, Clarence, aged 14, received fairly severe cuts about the knees, and was rendered unconscious fop a time, but the others escaped with little more than a bad shaking iffid minor cuts and bruises. The boy was taken to the residence' of Mrs. Eva. where every attention was given.- -He rreeovercd sufficiently to walk home later in the evening. Meanwhile the horse had bolted with the broken gig, but some three or four chains along the road it ran int» a telegraph pole, and there left the vehicle badly Smashed. The horse wan later stopped between Dr. Wade's and the hospital gates, apparently uninjured. Mr. 'Prentice has sustained considerable financial loss through the breaking up pf the gig and harness.

PALL FROM WOOL STACK.

A much more serious acefdent occurred at Waitar.i early in the nfternoon. when Thomas Rattenbury, while helping to break down wool stacks in ;the New Zealand Shipping Company's * wool store, slipped from a wool stack, nmd fell about 15. feet, niiile falling.jib was struck obliquely on the head ftf4 .upper part of the body by a bale oi %ol that hj» dislodged, weighing somei flOOlbs. Witnesses are of the wonderful escape from cleatTlV Dr. Campbell was called in. and after attending to Rnttenbury's injuries- ordered his removal to the New Plym'ihtih Hospital. Wieh first admitted he. \yss suffering gravely from shock, but Had late last night improved in that r«sp«et. Ho has very serious injuries to hones, the upper jaw being fractured, and contusions of the left shoulder and chest.