THE CROSSING FATALITY

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 216, 12 October 1929, Page 5

THE CROSSING FATALITY

FORMAL EVIDENCE RETURNED BY CORONER. NO BLAME ATTACHABLE TO ANYONE. CAUSE OF ACCIDENT A MYSTERY. The adiourned inque^t into the cireumstances surroundiug the death of James Edward Harrison, the 19-year-okl motor cyclist, who was kiiled at tlie Ellison street raihvay erossing 011 .i'hursday, October 3 last, when he was thru\vn, with his motor cvcle, under the inward-bound evening express train, was completed this moa'ning in the Napier Courthouse. Mr A. M. Mowlem, District Corouer,. presided and Sergeant Hodgson conducted the police inquiry. Evidence was given by Mary Barton, married woman, resident in Napier, that 011 the evening of the fatality she wa. standing 011 the back veraudah of her house in McGrath street, which was situated close to the Elhsoli street tTossing. She lieard the appi'oach of the express, which whistled when about 790 or 800 yards from the crossing. As the train was 011 the crossing she saw a boy on a motor cvcle thrown under the train. He tried to swerve when it was too late and was thrown against one of the carriages. Had he fallen the other way he would have been saved, The warning bells at the crosoing were ringing at the time of the accident. There was no other traffic about at the time. I-'IREMAN'S EVIDENCE. Heury William Alfred Hatton, firennui in the employ of the New Zealand Railwavs, stated that Jie was firing the 1 xpress train which was coming into Napier 011 October 3. V hen they were crossing Eildon street witness noticed u man on a motor cvcle coming towards the train. He was about 51) yards away when witness i»aw him first. *He K-emed to be travelling fast and did not appear to slacken speed at all. He hit the end of the first carriage after attempting to swerve. V itness called out to the d river to stop and ihe train was stopped, wliile the driver went back. The warning bells were ringing at the time and there are also compulsorv stop signs for motorists at the crossing. Leonard Henry Sigglekow, engmedriver, einploved by the New Zealand Railways, in charge of the engine pulling the express 011 October 3^ last, stated that they arrived at Ellison street about six minutes past five. Prior to reaching the crossing Svitness blew the whistle. After negotiating the crossing, in consequence of wliat his firen.an said, he brought the train to a standstill. The train's speed at the time was hetween 38 and 40 miles per liour. This was a littie hit below the usual speed at this point. Witness was on tlie opposite side of th© cab to that on which the deceasecl was approaching and had no chance of seeing him. Evidence was given hy Constable Tripney, who arrived on the scene of the accident later, that upon arrival he found that the ainbulance had been suninioned and that the deceased had been placed in the vehicle. There was a skid mai'k thipe feet from the raiLway line on the bitumen road. It was five feet in length and stretc-hed towards Napier, from right to left. The body had been dragged for a distance of 15 yards. Witness • conveyed the body to the morgue. THE CORONER'S DECISION. In answer to the Magistrate witness stated that with an ordinary look out, from ihe- McGrath street .side the crossing was not a dangerous oue. This completed the evidence. A verdict was returned that deceased met his death from extensive injuries received in connug to contact with a raiiway carriage. No suggestion of blanie was attacliable to tlie enginedriver, the fireman, or to anyone eise concerned.. Prior to delivering his verdict, the coroner remarked that here was a young man whom New Zealand, as a colony, could ill afford to lose. It seemed perfectly piain that as a matter of fact he was not as skiiled in" the control of his machine as most motor cyelists tliouglit **hey were, "I use those latter Words advisedly," remarked the coroner, who went on to state that the deceased had only had liis license fo rtwo days before the accident and it seemed probable to hini that he had as mueh as he could do in keeping control of his machine and did not keep a look out. The problem was bow he could have run. into the train as he did with conditions. as they were on. tlie crossing — all tlie view, the oompuhsory stops staring him in the face and th© amount of room. Tlie coroner could suggest no further safeguavding measnres at the crossing to the Raiiway Departmen't.