MOTOR AND TRAM COLLIDE.
DEATH OF CONSTABLE.
(PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) DUNEDIN, March 6.
Malcolm John Clarke, police constable, who, when riding a motor-cycle on Friday, collided with a tram-car and had his right leg broken and his head injured, died in hospital yesterday. Constable Clarke, who was 25 years of age, joined the force in April, 1926. At the inquest evidence of identification was given, and the inquest was adjourned. -Press, 7/3/1927.
DEATHS.
CLARKE. — On March 5, 1927, at Dunedin (result of an accident), Malcolm John Clarke, police constable, of Dunedin; aged 25 years. — The Funeral will leave the Dunedin Hospital (Cumberland street entrance) on Tuesday. 8th Inst., at 2.30 p.m., for the Anderson’s Bay Cemetery. — R. McLean and Son, undertakers. -Otago Daily Times, 7/3/1927.
FATAL COLLISION
CONSTABLE CLARKE'S DEATH
EVIDENCE AT INQUEST
“The evidence shows that the only one at fault was the unfortunate deceased himself, and no blame is attachable to the motorman,” said the Coroner (Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M.) in returning a verdict of accidental death at the adjourned inquest this morning on the circumstances of the death of Constable Malcolm John Clarke, aged twenty-five years, who died on March 5 as the result of injuries received on March 4.
Dr Durward, house surgeon at Dunedin Hospital, said that he saw the deceased immediately after his admission at 9.45 a.m. on March 4. He was unconscious, and suffering from a compound fracture of the right leg, abrasions to the right font, left thigh, both hands, and right side of the face. The leg condition was treated, but the general condition of the patient gradually became worse, and he died without regaining consciousness at 4 p.m. on March 5. The cause of death in his opinion was laceration of the brain and hemorrhage into and around the brain.
Denzil John Simpson, solicitor, said that on March 4 he was a passenger on the 9.20 a.m. south-bound car from Howe street, sitting in the rear platform with his back to the driver. The car did not stop at Dundas street, but slowed up to take the intersection. Just before the ear reached the south side of Dundas street the motorman commenced to gong the bell sharply. As far as witness could remember he gave three double taps. On hearing the bell witness jumped up and looked towards the front of the car. Just when he had risen to his feet the car pulled up sharply. Witness thought the car was pulled up easily within half of its own length. The impact took place about a second after the car had been brought to a standstill. After the collision witness alighted from the car and went round to the front. The motor bicycle was jammed against the front right-hand side of the car. The rider was lying with his head and shoulders on the ground, slightly to the right of the rear of the bicycle. His left leg was twisted under the petrol tank.
To Sergeant Dunlop: As far ns witness knew there was no other vehicular traffic on the street at the time. From the position of the motor bicycle it seemed as if the rider had veered to his left on hearing the bell but had not succeeded in getting off the line in time. Witness did not actually see the accident happen, and could not say what the course of the bicycle was.
Arthur Plaister said that on the day in question he was conductor on a tram from Howe street to St. Kilda, leaving Howe street at 9.20 a.m. When nearing Dundas street the motorman sounded the customary gong for passing intersections. When crossing the intersection of Dundas and Castle streets witness heard loud gongs by the motorman. Witness was inside the saloon portion of the car, and on looking up ho saw a motor cycle and sidecar coming on the same track towards the tramcar. Just over the intersection the car stopped, the motor cyclist then being about 12ft away. He was travelling very fast, roughly about twenty miles an hour. Witness saw the motor cyclist, when almost on top of the car, swerve to his loft, but too late to avoid collision. From the position he could see that an accident was unavoidable. On going round to the front witness noticed that the motor cyclist was seriously injured, and he rang up for the ambulance.
To the Coroner: There would be a very strong sun in the cyclist’s eyes, it being a bright sunny day.
To Sergeant Dunlop: The cyclist was on his wrong side.
James Swan said that he had been a motorman for eleven years. On the day in question witness left the Howe street terminus at 9.20 a.m., southbound for St. Kilda. When approaching Dundas street intersection witness sounded the gong and slowed down. He started to pick up speed again, when he noticed a motor cyclist and side chair coming towards him at about twenty-five miles an hour. The cyclist had his head down and was looking towards the left-hand side. He was running on the tram rails and on his wrong side of the street. Witness started to sound the gong and applied his brakes at the same time. As far as witness could see he could not attract the deceased’s attention, which made witness think deceased was listening to his engine. During this time witness was continually sounding his gong, and the car pulled up very quickly. Immediately before the impact deceased became aware of his position, and a second or two alter the car stopped the collision took place. Deceased made an attempt to swerve to the left, but struck the car with considerable force, the window of the car being shattered by the force of the collision. Witness corroborated the evidence of the witness Simpson in regard to deceased’s position after the accident. The car had to he backed to let the cycle off. Witness did not think deceased struck the tramcar. When the cycle struck he must have been thrown right back.
In returning his verdict, the Coroner said that the evidence of Simpson corroborated that of the motorman and the conductor, and showed that the tramcar was being driven quite properly and carefully. It slowed down at the Dundas street crossing, and when about over the intersection the gong had been sounded very loudly and the car pulled up suddenly, the motor cycle crashing into it. The evidence showed that deceased had been riding at a fairly fast speed, and the question arose as to how the motor cycle came to crash into the tramcar. The evidence disclosed that there was a strong sun shining in deceased’s eye, but that alone was not sufficient to account for the accident.
The motorman’s evidence as to the position of the cyclist tended to clear the matter up, the Coroner continued, the deceased having his head down near the engine. The noise of the exhaust probably prevented him from hearing the gong.
A verdict was returned that deceased's death was due to injuries caused by an accidental collision with a tramcar while he was riding a motor cycle. -Evening Star, 4/4/1927.
No comments:
Post a Comment