Mexborough and Swinton Times September 4, 1936

Dash Across Road
Denaby Woman’s Fate
Coroner’s Views on Speed Limit.

How a woman’s dash across the road resulted in her death was related at the inquest at the Fullerton Hospital, Denaby, on Tuesday on Sarah Eleanor Brown (46), married, Clifton Street, Denaby, who died in the hospital on Sunday from shock following injuries received when she was knocked down by a motorcar driven by Bertram Duffield, haulage hand, Moor Lane, Ravenfield, near Rotherham. A verdict of “accidental death” was returned.

Mr D Dunne (Rotherham) appeared for the driver; Mr G. S. Ward (Doncaster), for the relatives of the dead woman; and Inspector Barker (Doncaster divisional headquarters), represented the police.

Beatrice, Brown, the 17-year-old daughter of the dead woman, told the Coroner (Mr W. H. Carlyle), that at about 4:15 pm last Saturday she was a passenger on a bus from Doncaster, and her mother was with her. When the bus stopped at the Star Hotel, Conisborough, she got off with her mother, and started to walk down the front of the bus. They were walking on the side nearest to the bus, and were intending to cross the road and go down a passage on the opposite side. They began to cross the road and had got about halfway when she saw motor car coming from the Doncaster direction. It was opposite the Mona Club, and witness tried to pull her mother back. Her mother, however, pulled herself away, and began to run across road. She had nearly reached the opposite pavement when she was knocked down by the car, which ran over her. The car then went two yards, and pulled up.

Witness said that when she first saw it approaching the car was going very fast; it did not slow down, and she did not hear any hooter sounded. The bus was still standing at the Star Hotel, and there were no other vehicles to obstruct the view.

The Coroner: Do you think the driver could have avoided your mother? – She was nearly on the pavement. The car was going to quickly to do anything.

Replying to Mr Dunn, witness said they stood on the pavement to see if the road was clear.

Mr Dunn: Did you. How long were you on the pavement? – About a minute.

They did not see anything coming from the Rotherham direction, but did not look to the Doncaster direction until they had got to the front of the bus. They could not see the car coming them.

Mr Dunn: I am going to suggest that you left the front of the bus without taking the trouble to look for traffic? – I did not see any car.

Mr Dunn: Had your mother not run across this road she would not have been involved in this accident? – There was no answer.

Saw Car First

Mr Dunn: What made you grab your mother’s arm? – I noticed the car first.

Mr Dunn: There was no reason for your mother to run across the road? – She was a bit in front of me.

Answering Mr Ward, witness said that they had walked three paces from the bus before they left the pavement. Her mother was three quarters of the way across the road before she started to run.

Thomas Henry Thorpe, surface worker, Don Street, Conisborough, who was standing in the Doncaster Road, Conisborough, said he saw two women get off the bus, walk past the front of the bus and begin to walk across the road. At the same time, he saw a car coming from the Doncaster direction at a moderate speed. It pulled out to pass the bus. The woman was about in the middle-of-the-road. The driver sounded his hooter, and one of the woman set off to run. The driver swerved to the right to try to miss her, but in witness’s opinion he had no chance whatsoever of avoiding her. The car passed over her, but the wheels avoided her. The car pulled up in a very short distance. Witness told the Coroner that the woman ran in front of the car, the driver of which did all he could to avoid her.

In answer to Mr Dunn, Thorpe said that when the woman made her dash the bonnet of the bus and the car were parallel.

Thomas Hancox, Robert Street, Cudworth. Barnsley, said he was driving the bus from Doncaster to Mexborough. He saw the two woman alight from the bus. They walked about five or 6 yards along the pavement before they began to walk diagonally across the road. As soon as he saw them walking to the road he looked in his driving mirror and saw the car approaching and gave the driver a “slowdown” signal. The car was in about 40 yards away. The woman had about reached the white line in the middle-of-the-road when witness heard the car hooter being sounded. Witness then saw the daughter grab her mother’s arm. The daughter ran back and the mother forward. When the couple were walking near the white line the car was about 40 yards away.

The Coroner: the driver would see her then? – Yes.

Witness added that if the driver was going at a reasonable speed he would have time to pull up, but witness, however, could not say anything about his speed.

No Skid Marks.

The Coroner: Did you look on the roads to see if there were any brake marks? – There were no skid marks whatever.

The Coroner: From what you saw do you think the driver should have avoided the woman? – He seemed to have lost himself. He kind of followed her.

Replying to Mr Ward, witness agreed that if his signal had been observed the accident would have been avoided.

Nellie Burton, married, Doncaster Road, Conisborough, who were standing on her doorstep, said the car travelled at an ordinary speed. Witness shouted to the woman and her daughter to stop. When the car struck Mrs Brown she was carried on the bonnet and then slithered off.

Witness said she thought the driver could not have avoided the woman.

Mr Dunn: Wasn’t it that Mrs Brown was taking a chance to get across, and she failed, – yes, I think that was it.

The car driver, Bertram Duffield, said that he had three adults and a young girl in the car as passengers. As he reached the bend to drop down into Conisborough he was doing about 30 miles an hour, and he then slowed down to 20 miles an hour. He saw the bus setting down passengers, and kept his eye open for passengers coming around the bus. When about 10 yards away he sounded his hooter, and when he got level with the bonnet of the bus he saw the two woman two or 3 yards in front of him. The daughter stood still, but the mother seemed to hesitate. The daughter grabbed her arm, but the woman broke loose, and witness were to the right if he had swerved the other way he would most likely have struck the girl. The woman kept in line with the car all the way across the road. Witness struck her when she was about three parts across the road.

Witness admitted that he did not see the bus driver signal, but said he was watching the road.

Replying to Mr Ward, Duffield said he had been driving since April 8th, and passed his driving test in the first week in July.

Death Due to Shock.

Dr Thomas Ford, Denaby, said the woman had a compound fracture of the right arm, scalp wounds, and her left shoulder was badly smashed. The cause of death was shock following these injuries. Summing up the Coroner said there was no evidence to show that the car driver was driving at any other than at a reasonable speed. He was put in some dilemma in that one of the woman hesitated and then ran across the road. In those circumstances what did one expect the driver to do? Naturally he swerved to the offside. On the evidence he did not think the jury could find that there was much wrong with what he did.

Mr Carlile then drew attention to the fact that in both his inquest that afternoon there had been the question of buses standing on opposite sides of the road by the Star Hotel. He thought it was a dangerous practice for buses to be there in such a busy road and a practice which ought to be stopped.

Inspector Parker said he would bring it to the notice of the authorities.

The Coroner said he also wanted to mention the question of the road being de-restricted for the speed limit. It was in an anomaly that that busy road with its crossroad was the de-restricted. And he thought that many people were surprised when the road was de-restricted. It was a road which might well be restricted, and he thought it ought to have the attention of the authorities.