FAILED TO STOP

Taranaki Daily News, 25 September 1940, Page 4

FAILED TO STOP

YOUTHFUL MOTORIST STRATFORD ACCIDENT LOWER COURT DEFENCE

James Ronald Hugh Morrieson, an 18-year-old Hawera student, pleaded guilty at Stratford Police Court to a charge _ of failing to stop after a car he was driving was involved in an accident at Stratford early on Sunday, August 18. He was committed to the Supreme Court at Wellington on Tuesday, ' October 1, for sentence. A charge of l-eckless driving was withdrawn upon Morrieson pleading guilty on the other count, through. Mr. _ R. J. O'Dea, Hawera. Messrs. A. R. Davis and H. C. North. justices of the peace, were on the Bench. The par.ties involved attended a dance held in the drill hall, Miranda Street, Stratford, on the night of Saturday, August 17, said Sergeant W. N. Ferguson. Eight persons, including Morrieson, who was the driver, left the hall. in Morrieson's car after midnight and in driving down Regan Street west collided with a stationary vehicle. a van, and in so doing knocked down Miss Iris Saggers ar.d dragged her 48 feet, while a man named Manning was also knocked down. Miss Saggers suffered varied injuries. Trevor i Ross McCullum, Tariki, said that after leaving the dance hall in his motor-van he drove on to the extreme left of the road in Regan Street and as he did so the van's ignition and lights failed. He tried to fix them, but could not. He went back to the dance hall, where a friend named Ward thought he could rectify the trouble. They returned to the van, where McCullum entered the driver's seat and Ward lifted the bonnet.

Heard Someone Groaning. "The next thing I heard was the impact," said McCullum. He ran to the front of the truck, where he heard someone groaning. A vehicle, showing only a red rear light, was proceeding down the

road. He found Miss Saggers lying on the ground.. A passer-by put her in his car and took her to a doctor. McCullum stated his van was struck on the left side. Its headlights were not burning at the time of the impact. Answering Mr. O'Dea, McCullum said that as a result of the impact the van's bumper was slightly bent, a mudguard was dented and the left-hand lamp rim was knocked off and the glass broken. John Frederick Manning. a farmhand, Nihoniho, said he went with Miss Saggers and Ward to the van. McCullum had gone ahead and they met at the van, where McCullum was in the vehicle and Ward was fixing it. Manning said that while this was in progress he stood at the left-hand side of the van and Miss Saggers was slightly behind him. "I heard the drone of a motor vehicle, which I saw when it was about two yards from me." said Manning. It was coming from the west toward him. Immediately after seeing it he did not have time to do anything, said Manning, for he was immediately knocked down. He straight away got up again, continued Manning. He had a slight abdominal injury. He saw Miss Saggers about 48 to 50 feet down the street where she was lying on the ground. The car as it approached did not have any headlights. On regaining his feet, said Manning, he looked at his watch which read 12.20 a.m. The vehicle which knocked him down did not stop but continued down Regan Street.

Did Not Remembcr Impact. Iris Saggers coroborated the evidence of McCullum and Manning up to the occurrance of the impact. She did not see a vehicle approach, nor did she see any headlights. She was about to step into the van, when she knew nothing more. She did not recollect being hit by anything. Miss Saggers said she suffered a broken left lower jaw, a cut on the neck. a gash on the knee, abrasions and bruises. Nancy Flora Uncles. a single woman, Stratford, t.old how she and a friend joined Morrieson's car with a party of young people after the dance. Morrieson was driving. They proceeded west up Regan Street and it was discovered they were travelling in the wrong direction. The car was turned about and driven down Regan Street again towards Broadway. She described its speed as "not extra fast. She said she was sitting on a friend's. knee and felt a hump as though the cax "had hit a stonfe, or

something." She was unaware that the car had struck the van. Upon feeling the bump she said, "We hit that, didn t we?" but none of the others seemed to think so. The driver continued on and next stopped the car in front of the park gates in Portia Street, she said. Morrieson and another young man said they were going to a fish shop. She could not say whether the car's headlights were going, or not. No Idea Auyone was Hurt.

Answering Mr. O'Dea, she said she thought that someone told Morrieson to stop, but he said: "I only scraped their mudguard." She considered that the impact was only slight, and neither she nor anyone else "had the faintest idea that anyone was hurt." Harold Norman Olsen, grocer's assistant, Hawera, said he left Hawera in a car driven and owned by Morrieson. Also in Ihe car were Ken Woods, Ralph Cooke, Malcolm Robinson, Linn Flavell and Val Griffitsh. "On the way up we stopped while the boys had a few drinks," continued Olsen. Griflfiths and Woods did not drink. The liquor, a dozen bottles, was procured at Hawera. About four bottles were opened and Olsen himself only had a "sip." They continued on to Stratford, where Griffiths and Woods got out to have a look at the main street, while the rest of the party went to the dance. After .leaving the dance the party went down the road and turned to the left. The original party, with the exception of Griffiths, was in the car, which proceeded in a westerly direction. Someone said the car was going in the wrong direction, so it was turned about. He felt no impact, but heard the cars back wheels scrape. Morrison said there was a scraping noise and the others asked him to stop, but he did not. The car swerved a little. He heard a remark passed that the lights had gone out, but Olsen could not see them, for he was in the back. Olsen understood that a stop was made at the park for ' two chaps to have a drink." Robinson drove the car back from Stratford. Olsen said he did not know why. Answering Mr. O Dea, Olsen said that Morrieson's car was an old 8-cylinder vehicle. He did not remember Morrieson stopping to look at the lights when the turn was made The car travelled very slowly down Regan Street, and the

impact felt was very slight. When it was suggested that Morrieson should stop, Morrieson said something about "only scraping." Olsen said he had no idea that anyone was hurt in the impact, and he thought that no one else could have known. At the park gates the lights were examined and then Olsen and Robinson drove the girls home. On their return they collected Morrieson and Flavell in the main street at about 1.30 a.m. Visit to Police Station.

Constable A. H. Abbott Hawera, said he was on duty in the Hawera watchhouse on Tuesday, August 20, at 10.30 a.m. when Morrieson came in and asked if it was his car concerned in the "hit-and-run" case at Stratford on Sunday morning. He told t.he constable that he had just read in the paper that a blue car was concerned in the case. He appeared to be nervous and excited. The constable got him to sit down in the watchhouse and later he made a statement, which the constable read. Constable F. F. Healy, Hawera, read a statement which he later took from Morrieson. He said Morrieson was frank about the affair. "I am going to take the unusual action at this stage of calling evidence for the defence so that Morrieson's story may be given," said Mr O'Dea. "Morrieson is in court for the first time in his life, yet he has already been tried and found guilty of being a hit-and-run driver. I submit that a hit-and-run driver is one who goes on after an accident and knowingly leaves an injured person on the roadside. Those were not the cireumstances in this case. This is the first chance Morrieson has had to give his side of the case." The lights of Morrieson's car failed, and he drove on the grass at the roadside. for he considered there was less likelihood of cncountering traffic there as compared with the bitumenised roadway, said Mr. O'Dea. The accident occurrecl on the Sunday morning, and a rcport of it appeared in the Press on Tuesday morning, whereupon Morrieson went straight to the police voluntarily, which was not the action of a hit-and.-run driver, but of a man who was unaware but thought he might have been involved in an accident. Morrieson, in evidence. said that he turned 18 years of age in January of this year. He matriculated at the age of 17 and had gone on to the university at Auckland to study for a B.A. degree,

but had to discontinue owing to his health, which was much affected by asthma. Morrieson said he consumed three-quarters of a bottle of beei at Eltham on the way up from Hawera, but he was entirely sober. When he turned his car about in Regan Street the bumpy surface at the side of the roadway affected the lights owing to a faulty switch and caused them to go out Morrieson said that through the darkness of the night he perceived a dim shape ahead, and when near it swervecl to the right to avoid it. As he passed he heard a faint scrape. If the people in the rear of his car called out for him to stop Morrieson considered it was because they were thrown askew and into disorder when he swerved. "I thought it was nothing, and Flavell thought so. too," he said. Unaware of Accident. He heard np one call out to him from the other vehicle, continued Morrieson. He definitely did not know anyone was injured and had he known he would have immediately stopped. At the parn in Portia Street the car's hgkting was restored and he perceived a slight dent in the front left mudguard, which he thought to be of no account. There was also slight damage to the rear mudguar and the front fog light. Morrieson said that at no time during the night was he under the mfiuence o liquor On the Tuesday morning he read an account of Ihe accident in the newspaper and immediately cycled to police station and made a statement. Cross-examined by Sergeant Ferguson, Morrieson said he had three separate drinks during the night— one at Eltham on the way up. when part of a hottle was consumed, the rest of it at 8 p.m. at Stratford and another drink after the accident. He felt no impact when he struck the other car. but heard a grating sound. He had had about 16 months driving experience.

"Was Upset and Nervous.' Asked why he denied having had liquor when he made the first statement, Morrieson said he was upset and nervous. but did not actually deny having liquor. He fully admitted it in the second statement. The lights of the car were out for about seven minutes before the impact, Morrieson said he thought someone told him to stop after the impact. but he told them that it was "nothing." He had frequently seen cars grazed in traffic, but they did not stop. He thought the damage to the other car was negligible. He considered that the passengers called out to stop because they were dislodged from the back seat when he swerved to the right to avoid the stationary vehicle. Leonard Henry Flavell, a farm labourer from near Hawera, who sat in the middle of the front seat of Morrieson's car, corroborated the evidence of the other passengers. When cross-examined by Sergeant Ferguson he said he could not remember how many drinks he had on the night

of the accident. The first he knew of a woman being injured by the impact was when he was informed on the Tuesday by Robinson that the police were collecting statements. The other front seat passenger, Ralph William Cooke, Railway Department cadet, Hawera, who sat on the left-hand side of the car, gave similar evidence to that of the other passengers. Malcolm Holland Robinson, a clerk, Hawera, who sat in the left of the rear seat of the car, corroborated the earlier evidence. He said that he drove the car from Stratford to Hawera. He was definite that Morrieson was perfectly sober at midnight.