GIRL KILLED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 July 1938, Page 4

GIRL KILLED

FATALITY NEAR CARTERTON LAST NIGHT STRUCK BY PASSING CAR. DAZZLING HEADLIGHT’S SAID TO BE RESPONSIBLE. A girl named Veronica (“Bonnie”) Ireland was killed instantly on the Carterton-Mast'erton main highway last night when she was struck by a passing motor-car, the driver of which, it is stated, was dazzled by the lights of an approaching motor vehicle. The accident happened about a mile and a half north of Carterton, near the junction of Somerset Road, at about 9.30 p.m. The victim, who was a daughter of Mr and Mrs Robert Ireland, of Pembroke Street, Carterton and was 15 years of age, was walking northward on the left hand side of the road, in company with Betty Ireland, a cousin, on theii 1 way to a dance at Clareville. Veronica Ireland was struck by a car travelling north and driven by Mr Douglas Walter Page, of Pahiatua. It is stated that Mr Page dipped his lights with a view to getting the driver of an approaching motor vehicle to dip his lights, which were dazzling. The latter driver, however, failed to do so. Mr Page, it appears, did not see the two girls until he was quite close to them. He immediately swerved to avoid them, but unfortunately the hinge of the left hand rear door struck Veronica Ireland, breaking her neck. The other girl suffered light injuries, as the result of being knocked over by her companion. Mr Page stopped immediately and Dr W. J. C. Wells was called but could only pronounce life to be extinct. The inquest will be opened today for the taking of evidence of identification and adjourned sine die.