Evidence of Denaby Car’s Speed in Crossroads Fatality

A motorcar carrying a midwife, her mother and a dog they had just purchased travelled along Bawtry Road, Bramley. It had almost reached Bramley crossroads. Another car in which were three men and a case of pigeons, suddenly entered the road from a minor road and collided with the first car. The midwife’s mother, 62 years old Mary Elizabeth Hemingway, of 9, Hellaby Hall Road, Hellaby, died from the injuries she received.

Learner Driver

At the resumed Rotherham inquest on Mrs Hemingway last Thursday, a witness stated that the second car was going much faster than a car normally did when approaching crossroads. “I knew it would not be able to stop,” he told the Coroner, Mr N. S. Robson,

The jury returned a verdict of “accidental death.”

In his summing up, the Coroner said it could be through probably that one of their material causes of the accident was that the driver of the car which entered the main road was a learner and inexperienced. Then it had been stated the purpose of their occupant’s journey was to release some pigeons from a point near where the crash occurred. It was possible that at the time they were looking for a place to let the pigeons go. There was the possibility that the drivers look at the main road was not as good as it should have been, said the Coroner, if the jury believed the accident to be a case of serious negligence and not one of wilful, deliberate reckless driving, a verdict of accidental death would be fitting. Mr Robson added: “I understand notices of other proceedings have been given to the driver.”

Mrs Hemingway died, said Dr Gilbert Forbes (pathologists) from shock caused by concussion of the brain, and fractures to the neck, ribs and pelvis.

Miss Constance Hemingway, a district midwife, also of 9, Hellaby Hall Road, said she was driving the car in which her mother was killed. They had been to Wickersley and witness had bought a dog. Mrs Hemingway was holding the dog in her arms. Witness said she slowed the car down as she approached the pedestrian crossing just before the crossroads and she was travelling at about 20 mph just as she got to the crossroads, she noticed a car on her left coming towards her.

“GOING SO QUICKLY”

“I remember saying, my God!” She told the coroner, “because I could see it was going so quickly I knew it would not stop and it would hit.” She added: “after that I could not remember anything.” She came to in the ambulance, she said. She received bruises.

The driver of the other car, James William Anderton, a miner, of Firbeck Street, Denaby, said he was taking pigeons for a training flight. He was a learner driver and a qualified driver was by his side. As he approached the crossroads, he changed year twice. He had seen the “slow” sign. As the car moved up to the major road, he looked right, but could not see far because of property on the corner. He looked left and was just going to look right again when he saw the other car.

The competent driver accompanying Anderton, Joseph Burns, also a miner, also of Harlington Road, Mexborough, said he had been driving 18 years and agreed that teaching people to drive was a hobby of his. Anderton’s speed as he approached the major road was 25 – 30 mph

just before the impact, said Mr Burns, he saw Miss Hemingway throw her arms up in the air. “She seemed to panic,” he said. He fought a serious accident might have been avoided if Miss Hemingway had swerved away. Mr Byrne admitted both he and the driver had been working all night.

“Knew he could not stop”

The other witness, Mr Eric Jackson, a fish fryer, of Goose Lane, Wickersley said he was looking out from the yard behind his property on Bawtry Road. He had a good view of the minor road leading up to Bawtry Road. He saw Anderton’s car “travelling much faster than a car normally does approaching these crossroads.” He estimated the speed at between 20 – 40 mph when they were 20 yards from the crossroads. “It showed no sign of reducing speed,” he said, “and I knew he could not stop.” He added: “I just stood there waiting for something to happen.”