Conisborough Man’s Death – Run Down By a Taxi

April 1915

Mexborough and Swinton Times April 10, 1915

Conisborough Man’s Death
Run Down By a Taxi

An inquest was held on Thursday evening on an elderly Conisborough man named George Revitt (65), living at 10, Old Hill, by Mr R. A. H. Toby, the Doncaster Borough coroner.

The old man was knocked down by a taxi on Tuesday morning, and died on Wednesday evening at the Doncaster infirmary. Evidence of identification was given by Ethel Grundy wife of Fred Grundy, of Norton Road, Wood lands and stepdaughter of the deceased.

Before Christmas deceased had been employed by the rural Council at Conisborough. Witnesses mother was living but they could not find her. The deceased came to visit her on Monday morning last about 11 o’clock. He was in the habit of coming over without letting them know. He used generally to stay a day are two.

On Tuesday morning he went out before witness got up. She saw her husband and son off to work before 6 o’clock. And it must have been after that when he went out.

He was in good health and she was preparing his breakfast when she heard he had been injured. He was taken into doctor McKay’s surgery and witness saw him there. He was conscious. But he never said anything about the accident. When he saw she was crying he told her not to bother, as he was not hurt as badly as she thought. He was taken to the Doncaster infirmary on the colliery mtor ambulance. Witness followed later. He was conscious and, but he did not say anything about the accident. He did not blame anybody. He was not deaf and his eyesight was good.

Doctor. Bernard Scott, house surgeon at the infirmary, said he saw the diseased on his admission on Tuesday about Monday. He was conscious and suffering from a very bad scalp wound. The scalp had been half torn off. He had a fractured arm and thigh. He was attended to but gradually sank and died on Wednesday evening. He never referred to the accident. Death was due to shock.

The driver of the taxi cab, George Henry Maltby, a well-known Doncaster footballer, said he owned the motor and was taking the party to whether the races on Tuesday. There were five in addition to him, and they set off for the Wellington hotel at 10 .35. When passing into Wood lands they saw the deceased in the roadway. Witness was driving about a yard from the side of the road on his proper side. They were travelling about 10 or 12 miles an hour. Having just got into top gear deceased was then 30 or 40 yards away and was walking straight across the road and had got within a yard of the opposite side when witness was 30 yards away. He was sounding his horn diseased then turned around, seem to go forward, hesitate, and then come back

“if I had not have sounded my hooter I would have missed him I think. It seemed to startle him,” he added. When he saw the disease hesitate he pulled across to the other side of the road. And disease was not down apparently by the bonnet of the engine. He was carried a little way and was then dragged underneath, as if his foot had caught in the wheel.

Witness could not say whether either of the wheels of the taxi went over him. Witness applied the brake after he sounded the horn and saw diseased hesitate in. He applied them suddenly with the result that cordon came up which caused the brakes to become useless. After striking the disease the car travelled about 30 yards. When he struck diseased it was quite near to the right-hand kerb.

Witness has had a drivers licence for three years, and had driven in Nottingham for eight months. In that condor that they had not eight months. If the cordon had not come out he would have been able to stop the car and avoid the accident.

John Potts, 13, North Road, Woodlands, cycle dealer and motorcar repairer. Said he was standing on the road very near to his shop, and witnessed the accident. He heard the taxi cabs horn sound loudly, and turned around and saw the diseased hesitate in crossing the road and then make for the other side. The taxi swerved a little to the left and then right to the right-hand side and caught the man with the mud guard. The cause of the accident was the deceased hesitation and contusion. The driver was not in the least to blame.

After further evidence a verdict of accidental death was returned and the jury exonerated the driver from blame.