HAWERA MOTOR FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 March 1919, Page 5

HAWERA MOTOR FATALITY.

THE INQUEST. STRONG REMARKS BY CORONER. Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., held an inquest yesterday into the circumstances of the death of Mr Frederick Custave Bremer, who was killed the previous day through being pinned under a motor car which overturned Senior Sergeant Till represented the police. Dr. liuiht deposed t.mit he saw the deceased about 12.30 p.m. on Thursday in Nurse \Viiite's hospital He was conscious, but sull'ering gravely from shock. He found that the whole of the right side of the chest and part of the breast bone were severely fractured and driven in with penetration of the lung on that side. Deceased lost consciousness about 1 o'clock, and died at about 1.30. His death was din to shock resulting from the severity of the injuries. Deceased did not say anvttiing to witness as t« how the accident, happened. All thai hn asked wa» that his brother-in-law, Dr. Harvey, Waverley, be sent for.

llarvev Gustave George Bremer, son of the deceased, deposed that he and his father left their home at Whenuakura yesterday morning in a Studebaker car to come to Hawera. Mr Ayers and Miss Ayers were also in the car. They left a,bout 10 o'clock, and when a miie or so from Hawera an accident happened. The deceased was drivinc. All witness remembered of the accidpnt. was that the car swerved to the right side first, then to the left, and then tipped over. Witness was thrown clear and so he thought were Mr and Mi«s Avers. The deceased was pinned under the car. which was half on its side and half upsidedown. The car had a right hand drive and right hand controls. It was lying with the right hand side down, facing across the road to the left hand side. Deceased did not speak to witness as to how the accident occurred- Witness and Mr Ayers tried to uet deceased from underneath the car, hut could not manage it. An other ..car, driven T >v Mr Ramsbottom. came "along. Ho assisted witness and Mr Avers to remove the deceased, who was brought into Hawera. Witness believed the accident, happened about 11 or 11.30 a.m. Witness could r.ot SRy to what the accident was due It wns a straight piece of road where it happened, and level, and a sood road. The spepd would be about 30 miles an hour. Deceased had had an accident previously, which was caused through a tvre Wowing ont. Witness did r," ; , drive the car, although he had been frequently driven in the car bv the deceased. Caroline Tvanhoe Ayers corroborated the evidence of the previous witness Deceased never said anything to witness about the accident, and although he whisneml something he appeared to be unable to speak The Coroner, in summing up, said that once again he had to record the death of a motorist duo to over-speeding in motor driving. The 101 lof the road with motor cars was a particularly hciw one where there was any reckless driving. It was an exceedingly difficult problem to know how to regulate minor trufiv.i i:si good country roads- It might be possible for the dificrent local | I'.oiTiei to liv a speed limit, but there i was the difficulty of enforcing it. It was dilliciilt to account for the accident in the nresent case, except for the obvious reason that tie car was travelling too quickly to be under complete control. lie must sound a note of warning to motorists that Nemesis would not always be kind to the driver. One of these days the driver would escape and a passenger wonhl act killed, and tlm driver might then find himself called uoon to face manslaughter proceedings The verdict would be in accordance witr the ikvtor's testimony, that tlio deceased died from shock through injuries received in a motor car accident. The Coroner said that he would not add anv rider- He thought, however, that the Automobile Association should bring pressure upon their members to cease this mad over-speeding which appeared to be the tendency nowadays Motor cars, with the present up-to-date appliances, could be kept under perfect control il' driven in a reasonable man ner. When driving at a hi<rh speed a slight variation of the. surface of th« road, or a slight variation in the course of the road, would often result in an aff cident. —Star.