DEATH OF A BOY.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 September 1922, Page 6

DEATH OF A BOY.

DANGERS ON THE ROADS. THE CORONER’S COMMENT. An inquest was held by Mr. Mowlem, S.M.. at Inglewood on Saturday touching the death of Ivan Matthew Radich, who was killed at Tariki by being thrown out of a motor cycle side-chair. Matthew Radich. father of deceased, stated that the child, who was two years and four months old, was in a sidechair attached to the motor-cycle that witness was riding from Manaia to Inglewood on Thursday. When passing through Tariki, and travelling at about 15 miles an hour, a calf suddenly came on to the road in front of him from the right-hand side. He immediately put on all 'brakes’at full strength and swerved the cycle to avoid a collision, and he believed the vehicle turned a somersault. He was thrown on to the grass at the side of the road and when he picked himself up he found the child was lying on the metal road. The child neither moved nor spoke and he soon saw that he was dead. A. F. Thompson, farmer, owner of the calf, said lie examined the calf, but could find no marks whatever on it to show that it had been struck by the cycle. Constable Longbottom confirmed this. Mr. Mowlem. in summing up. said he hoped his remarks would be made public, because this was one of those happenings that showed the danger—so common on the’public roads, where no danger of the kind should be — that was caused by wandering stock. To his mind people did not realise the right of the travelling public to expect a clear and safe road, as they were entitled to. The want of care of stock, and the neglect of lights on vehicles of all kinds, was a' constant menace to all wno used the highways—a menace that should not be, and one that’he intended to do all in his power to put a stop to. In this case the owner of the calf was. in his opinion, in no way to blame. It was purely accidental that the calf had got on to' the road, for Thompson was not in the habit of letting his cattle stray. He concluded with a verdict in accordance with the evidence, that the death of Ivan Matthew Radich was the result of an accident, no blame being attachable to anyone.