CAR DRIVER KILLED
HIT BY EXPRESS TRAIN
LEVEL CROSSING SMASH
(PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) DUNEDIN. February 2.
Albert George Melvin, a well-known resident of Waiwera South, was killed at 9.20 a.m. yesterday, when a private car he was driving was struck by the north-bound Invercargill-Christchurch express. The accident occurred at a level crossing in the centre of the township.
Melvin, who was a lorry-driver employed by Mr Colin Stuart, a sawmiller, was travelling from the direction of the sports ground to the sawmill when the accident happened. He was the only person in the car, and, so far as is known at present, was killed outright when the express struck him. Conditions for driving were good at the time, and the express, which does not stop at Waiwera, was on schedule.
Melvin was a married man, and leaves a wife and three children. -Press, 3/2/1941.
SOUTH OTAGO NOTES
[From Our Correspondent]
INQUEST.
The inquest was concluded before Mr W. Roy, district coroner, at Balclutha on Albert George Melvin, who was killed when a car he was driving was struck by the Invercargill-Christchurch express on February 1 at a level crossing at Waiwera. Constable J. H. McCormick conducted the inquiry, Mr G. J. Kelly represented the family of deceased, Mr R. R. Grigor the insurance company, Mr J, T. Walter deceased’s employer, and Mr A. Petrie the Railway Department.
Dr W. D. Dodds, Balclutha, gave evidence as to the nature of the injuries.
Colin C. Stuart, employer of deceased, said Melvin had been attending to his private car, which was not functioning too well. He knew nothing about the car stalling. In his opinion the crossing was not a safe one, the view of the line being badly obscured by buildings, a board fence, and hedges.
William Taylor, farmer, said he saw the car in front of him. It was about 30yds or 40yds from the line, and was not travelling fast. He heard a train whistle and saw the car in front stop on the line and be struck by the train. It was carried by the engine about 400yds before coming to a stop. The car was caught in the cowcatcher. He considered the crossing a bad one.
John Marshall Rankin, Invercargill, driver of the train, said the train was travelling about 46 miles an hour. He observed a car approaching the crossing. It would be about 100yds away at the time, and the train was also about 100yds from the crossing. He gave another whistle. He saw the car go on to the crossing and applied the emergency brake. That was all he could do to avoid an accident. The engine struck the car and carried it about 300yds along the track. He could have applied the Westinghouse brake, but there was a danger of telescoping the carriages by doing so. When the train stopped he saw the body of deceased in the driver’s seat of the car. The car seemed to have stalled, and was on the crossing for about a second before the train hit it.
Frank Jennings, fireman on the train, remembered the whistle being sounded twice and the emergency brake being applied. He did not see the car.
Keith Patterson, porter at Waiwera, said he noticed the car approaching the crossing. It was travelling very slowly, and appeared to stall on the line. He did not think the crossing a dangerous one.
The Coroner returned a verdict that deceased met his death as the result of laceration of his brain and shock following a compound fracture of the base of the skull, caused by a collision between the car he was driving and the northbound express, no blame being attachable to anyone. -Evening Star, 17/2/1941.
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