MOTOR FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 April 1921, Page 8

MOTOR FATALITY.

THE DEATH OF MR. H. A. COWARD. ' EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST. OPEN VERDICT RETURNED The adjourned inquest into the circumstances connected with the death of the late H. A. Coward, who died as A result of injuries received in a motor collision at Stratford on Tuesday night, was resumed before Mr/T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., district coroner, at the Stratford Courthouse yesterday. Sergeant Dale conducted the investigation on behalf of the police. Mr. L. M. Moss 'watched the proceedings on. behalf of Mr. R. S. Death, the driver of the horse and cart which collided with Mr. Coward’s car, and M 5, S. Spence watched the proceedings on behalf of the widow and the New Zealand insurance Company. Dr. William Sowerby, medicaf superintendent of the Stratford hospital, said the deceased was admitted to the hospital at about a quarter to seven on Tuesday evening. On examination of the deceased he was found to be suffering from a slight abrasion above the right eye and an extensive penetrating wound of the right chest. He was also suffering from extreme shock as a result of his wot: nds. No other wounds could be found on his body. He was complaining of a pain in his back to siui an extent that it was found necessary to give him morphia. The pains then ceased and the patient gradually sank, dying at 9.30 p.m. Several of the ribs were broken Where the wound had been made in the chest, and the lungs w T ere also wounded. Considerable force would have to be used to make the wounds. He must have been struck with a blunt object. The deceased 'was conscious until seven o’clock, but was unable to say anything about the accident. The cause of death was shock, due to his injuries. To the coroner: He did not’ notice any smell of liquor about the deceased. COMPANION’S STORY. Robert Dare Wilson, formerly a hotelkeeper in Stratford, deposed that he went with deceased in a two-seater motor car to Hawera on Tuesday. He had driven with the deceased on two previous occasions and recognised him as. a capable driver. They had a drink at Hawera, Mr. Coward being in witness’ company almost the whole of the afternoon. Deceased had two drinks at Manaia; that was all as far as he knew. They left Hawera at half-past five, according to Mr. Linsky. They lit the lights on the hill on the north side of the Te Roti factory. They had one light on the right-hand side. The coroner: Only one? Witness: Yes. Continuing, witness said the light was not a very good one, throwing a ray of about 12 or 15 feet’ Before reaching the Te Roti factory Mr. Coward pulled the wind-screen down so that he could see over the top distinctly. To the coroner: They were travelling into Stratford on the- crown of the road. He could not make an estimate of the speed they were travelling at. He could not remember having spoken to the deceased aftei; the lights were lit’ It was a bright moon-light night, and there was no difficulty in seeing in front of them. The only reason he could think for Mr. Coward not seeing the approaching cart was on account of the gloom cast by the trees. Witness saw nothing of the horse and cart before the actual collision. Deceased made an exclamation which sounded like “Look out,” and almost at that moment the collision occurred. Witness did not think deceaseci was travelling very fast at the time. The force of the impact threw witness out of the car on the lefthand side on to the footpath. When he stood up thA deceased was lying on the right front of tdie car on the grpund full length on his side. The cart was on its side on its- left wheel, the bottom, pointing towards the centre of the road. The horse was gone and the tw’o shafts were broken. After deceased had been taken to the hospital witness assisted to remove the car clear of the traffic. He then looked roWnd for the driver of the car, but could not find him. The eart appeared to him to come out from the trees. The asphalt portion of the road did not appear to be clouded or dark at the time of the collision. WHAT AN EYE-WITNESS SAW. Maud Victoria Gardner, wife of Mr. H. Gardner, deposed that she resided nearly opposite the scene of the accident. She saw the car approaching and she thought it had two lights on. The ear was not travelling very last at the time. The ear was slightly south of her gate when she first saw a cart. The car appeared to be travelling in the ; centre of the road and the cart was near ; the trees on the east side of the road, appearing to be off the asphalt. From where she was looking she did not see any lights on the cart. There was a clear space of about 12 feet between the carfind the cart when she first saw the cart. She saw the actual collision. The motor ear ’’looked to her as though it went right into the wheel of the cart. The shaft broke through the wind-screen and struck the deceased. The horse fell down and then broke away.

To Mr. Moss: It was quite possible, from where she was, that either of them might have' turned. She did not notice the car swerve either way. The horse was trotting, but not going fast enough to suggest to her that it had run away. There was nothing unusual about the speed at which it was travelling. Cyril Paul Theobold, proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, Stratford, deposed that Death was slightly under the influence of liquor. To Mr. Moss: Death was in quite a fit condition to have been in charge of a horse and cart. Leonard George Horn, wheelwright, gave evidence that in his opinion Mr. Death was sober on the night of the. accident.

.Sergeant Dale deposed that Mr. Wilson was perfectly sober. In his opinion Death was at that time under the influence of drink, and in saying that he made allowance for the trouble he had gone through. Robert Sturgeon Death, a farmer living on the Bird Road near Stratford, said he came into Stratford on Tuesday for the sale, having some cattle to be sold there. About three o’clock he left the saleyards with Mr. Burke, of Eltham, in order to discuss some business. He left Mr. Burke about four o’clock. He went into the Commercial Hotel at five minutes to six. and he was quite prepared to swear that when he left the hotel he knew fully well what he was doing. After leaving the hotel he went to Collins’ stables to get his horse and cart, after which he started off home. When he got past the Courthouse a motor car pasesd him and he got right off ths asphalt. A little further along,

near the Opunake Road, he passed another motor, he still being on the side of the road. Mr. Moss: He admits that he had no lights. Continuing, witness said that the second car which passed him had very strong lights. After that he saw a faint light coming down the road, and he thought ht first that it was a gig. It was about 200 yards away when he first noticed it. As it got closer he could see it was a motor car. It seemed to take a swerve to the left and then to the right and then struck his cart. That was the last he remembered. His cart was right on the side of the road off the asphalt when the collision occurred. It was not necessary for the ear to swerve to have avoided hitting him. He could give no reason for the change of direction of the car. His horse was going at only a jog trot, not more than three or four miles an hgur. CORONER'S REMARKS. The coroner said it was one of the most cases he had dealt with. There was a straight line of road and it was a bright moonlight night, except for a few passing clouds. On the one side there was a motor car coming from Hawera to Stratford at an ordinary pace, but the car was not particularly well lighted, having only a small acetyline lamp on one side. Coming the other way was a horse and cart unlighted, but according to the evidence, in such a position that there seemed no earthly reason for the car striking it. He could not account for the collision or why it should have taken place. The cart was on its proper side of the road after the accident, and the whole matter was an enigma to him. It may have been caused by the car skidding, but he could not find any negligence on the part of the driver of the cart apart from the fact that he had no lights. But that did not amount to criminal negligence, in view of the evidence that the driver kepj to the side of the road, and it would not. justify a charge of manslaughter. As to the man’s condition, it appeared according to the evidence that he was capable of knowing what he was doing and was able to take charge of the horse and cart. Under the circumstances he (the coroner) felt that he could only return an open verdict, death being due to injuries received in the collision.