MOTOR CAR FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 January 1918, Page 6

MOTOR CAR FATALITY.

r ; - ADJOURNED INQUEST. The adjourned inquest concerning the circumstances surrounding the death of Francis Anslis, who died in the Now Ply* mouth Hospital on January 4 from injuries received ill a motor car accident near Tariki on January 'I, was resumed at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, before the District Coroner (Mr. A. Crooke, S.M.). Sub-Inspector Huttou represented the police. Mr. A. 11. Johnstone appeared on behalf of the driver of the motor car, Mr. Les. Jury. Dr.. Wade testilied to having made a post-mortem examination of the body of deceased. The cause of death, in his opinion, was collapse, following general peritonitis, due to rupture of the small bowel. He thought the rupture could be caused by deceased being thrown against some hard object or by some hard object striking deceased. From the extent of the injuries, no operation could have saved the life of deceased.

Dr. Walker deposed to attending Anstis on January 4 at the house of his sister, at St. Aubyn street. On examination ie showed all the signs of grave, eardiae prostration. His pulse was rapid and thready. The abdomen was flat, but rigid, and his opinion was that he had, sustained a grave internal injury. He ordered the immediate removal of the patient to the hospital, and all effort to raily him from a state of collapse failed and he died at 1'2.55 p.m. on the same day. Win. John Anstis, brother of deceased, said that on reaching Inglcwopd, when returning from the Stratford races, he heard of the accident to hi* brother. He saw Mr. Jury there who said his car had overturned on the road. Jury seemed to he very excitable over it. He went with Jury to the locality of the accident. A? far a3 witness could judge, Jury was not drunk. Witness detailed the condition in which he found the car, which wa? on the right-hand side of the road coming from Stratford. He could see the wheel-marks of the car—one on the cattle track at the side of the road and the other on ihe grass. The width of the metal road would be from 12 to 14 feet and the loft wheel-marks would be from 5 to G feet from the metalled roadway. The road was inclined to he rough where the car had been running along. When the car was towed to Inglewood the punctured tvrcs were flapping and they had to put on a spare wheel. There was ample room for two cars to pas? with safety on the road where the accident occurred. He was of opinion that Jury was sober. George Patrick Fallon, chemist's assistant, New Plypinuth, said he went to and returned from the Stratford races on January 2 in a motor car driven by Les Jury, who was quite sober and had full control of Hie car. Witness was in the front seat and deceased was in the backseat. He thought their speed would be between 25 and 30 miles jver hour. Witness was sitting in front of the speedometer, which he looked at from time to time. The highest, register he saw was 30 miles. A. far as witness knew Jury intended to pass a car which was in front ot them j\xt hefore the accident happened. Jury pulled o>: to the side of the road and witness hoard a report, and the car swung round to- | wards the road and turned over. Witness was not thrown right out of the ear. He was rendered unconscious. He could not account for the accident, except through the tyre bursting. Jury was on his proper side of the road. There was not, to his knowledge, any trace between Jury and anyone else ob the road.

To the Crroner: When Jury attempted to pass tlia car ahead of them he pulled on to the .side of the road. The speed was then eased to "27 milos tin huur. The other car would then be about 20 yards ahead ot them. He heard the horn biown. He thought that not more than three other cars were passed between Stratford and tit© poir.t where th» accident happened.

Lewis Holmes, a soldier on leave, gave corroborative evidence.

Lewis .Seamark", farmer, Omata, another passenger in the car, said all the occupants of the ear were sober. The oar was not stopped between Stratford and where the accident happened. When the attempt wa 5 made to pass the other ••ar where the accident happened witness thought the other car put on a bit of ■tpoed. Jury had eased up for about five t'liains in order to get an opportunity to pass. Witness heard the t.vre burst, and the car swerved towards the metal arid turned over. All the car was off the metal at the point where the car swerved. The road was a bit rough at that point. There was no carelessness on the part of the driver, and he was quite within his rights in going on to the sidu of the road to pass the other ear. He thought the cau6e of the tvre bursting was its striking the cattle'track. To the Coroner: He could not say whether Jury put on speed in order to jpass the other car. He did not know that deceased had said that the cause of the accident was the speed at which ! tJiey were travelling, j The Coroner: Did anybody In the cm ;sa.y they would not go further than Ingle wood m the car?—X o . Not that j <*now of. Harry Kendall, also passenger 5n the car, said that the car might have gone fast a little while before the accident They passed three or four other cars on the road all coming from the direction of Stratford. He did not think the speed was increased in order to pas., tli e car .Hist when the accident happened. Witness received no injury. To the Coroner:' The road was not loup where they pulled off. They seemed to come on the rough patch all of A -■dden. He did not hear deceased say anything about the speed. He did not StratfonL PaSSed m '""" lmm

Isaac Crowe, farmer, Tarata denosed to being at the Stratford races andV Ah 11 'f f 'iA Edward Bishell's car. About 10 chain 9 on this side of the concrete bndge near Tariki, Jury's car passed fiiem They were then travelling about 2o miles an hour according to the speedometer. The driver of the other car appeared to have full control of bis car. The traffic on the road about that time was very heavy. He thought .Jury would be going at from 35 to 40 "lues an hour.

Sub-Inspector Hutton: Considering the state of the traffic at the time, did you consider Jury's speed excissive?—He was going pretty fast.

Continuing, witness said that when they reached the scene of the accident Jury seemed to 'be quite sober. At the point where the accident happened the road 'has a high crown and falls away to to the side sharply. This would tend to make the car swerve when coming backon to the metal.

To the Coroner: The accident happened about three-quarters of a mile from where Jury's car passed them. George Bishell corroborated' the last WitnouL

' Sub-Inspector Hutton: Do you think Jury's speed was dangerous ?—Yes, I do. Chas. 11. Laurence, road contractor, Inglewood, said he returned from the Stratford races in a car driven by 31r. Lawson. About a mile this side of Tariki, Jury'ii car attempted to pass the car witness was in. 110 did not hear any horn Mown. The driver "of the ear witness was in made way for the other car to pass. Witness heard a report like (ho sound of a tyre bursting. The back of Jury's car dropped ofl' the hard road about I! or 8 inches down on to the soft part of t'he road. Jury was on his proper side when he passed. The car sweived to the left, capsized to the right, and then came back on to its wheels. All the occupants of Jury's car appeared sober. The road was rough. He thought with reasonable care a driver could take a car over that portion of the road without accident.

Henry Cox Luke gave similar evidence. Frank L. L&wson, laborer, Inglewood, said he occasionally did taxi-driving. He remembered Jury's car trying to pass the car 'he was driving, about a mile past the Tariki bridge. He heard the horn of the other car blown. He pulled off to give the other car room to pass. The road was wide enough for the cars to pass, 'but not at a terrible pace. He would say Jury's speed was from 35 to 40 miles an hour.

To Mr. Johnstone: Tie estimated the speed of Jury's car by the wav in which It came alongside his (witness"') ear. Wm. Stevens, motor mechanic, New Plymouth, gave evidence as to the condition of Jury's car after the accident. His opinion from the evidence was that the accident had 'been caused by Jury getting into a cow track at the side of the road and in trying to get back to the crown of th« road.

Constable F. Longbottom, Inglewood, m the course of his evidence, said he thought Jury must have been perfectly sober by the way he handled hi 3 car. The passengers were also sober. The road where the accident happened could be travelled over if a driver was goin" at a moderate pace. ° Herbert Leslie Jury, taxi-driver, New Plymouth, who elected to give evidence, said that on the day in question lie went to the Stratford races with a partv of five passengers. He left Stratford to return to New Plymouth about 6 p.m. He was perfectly sober. Tic was travelling hetween 2.3 and 30 miles an hour prior to the accident. He blew his horn and was on his proper side when passing the car at the point where the accident occurred. ITc heard a report and felt the car swerve. He felt a bump or two, and the next he knew he was on the road. The other pasengers were on the side of the road, some lying down and some standing. He spoke to deceased, who said he "felt pretty bad" or "not too gcod." Someone took deceased in a car to Inglewood. He could not say what caused the tire of his car to burst, Witness then described the damage sustained by his car He was not racing on that day. and none of his passengers complained of the speed at which lie was travelling. The Coroner: Don't von think it extraordinary for the two rtght-hand tyre* to burst at th» same time?—lt was not very usual for the two tyres to burst at the. same time. AN OPEN VERDTCT. j The Coroner said that, unfortunately, that was the second inquest he had held this year on people who had died as the result of injuries received in motor accidents while returning from races. There wa, no question as to the cause of death. The evidence given was unanimous that the driver of the motor liad his car under proper control and that he was perfectly sober. Evi>n the constable's evidence was perfectly clear on that point. The next question was aa to excessive speed. On that point all the occupants of the car swore that the speed at no time exceeded 30 miles an hour, though they admitted passing several cars on the way, but could not say that any other car passed them. He thought there must have been an epidemic of unprecedented slow driving returning from the races on the day in question. The next question was as to whether Jury was driving at such a speed as couldjbo called excessive, considering the state of the traffic at the time, and he could not say that he was. He thought what was more likely, and What was in accord with the motor expert's evidence, was that Jury, in trying to pass the other car, had got off the metalled portion of the road on to a rough track, and in trying to get back his wheels 'had locked and caused the far to capsize. He could not find that the accident had been caused by excessive speed. He thought an error of judgment had been committed in trying to pass the other car by going on to t'he unInetalled portion of the road. If Jury had waited until he had reached a good piece of road he would probably have got past all right,. He found, therefore, that the deceased was accidentally thrown out of a motor car on .Tammy 2, and received injuries from which lie died, the cause of death being as stated in the medical evidence.