South Yorkshire Times Saturday, January 16, 1943
Denaby Youth’s Death
Road Crash Mystery
How a badly damaged milk float was found on the main Conisbrough – Doncaster road last Friday with driver and passenger unconscious, was told at an inquest at the Fullerton Hospital, Denaby, on Tuesday.
The inquest, on Frank Smith (17), of 60, Loversall Street, Denaby Main, was adjourned by the Doncaster District Coroner (Mr. W. H. Carlile) until next Tuesday, in the hope that some response would be forthcoming in the meantime to a broadcast appeal for information made by the police.
Alfred Smith, miner, said his adopted son was employed by the Northern Dairies (Doncaster), Ltd., as a milk roundsman.
Heard Woman’s Moans.
Frank Mason, retired schoolmaster, 166, Doncaster Road, Conisbrough, said on Friday he left home at. 8.30 p.m., intending to walk down to the Warmsworth crossroads. He was walking on the main road on the offside, and as he started to go down the hill he saw a dark object, presumably a vehicle, silhouetted by the lights of an oncoming lorry. He arrived on the scene of the accident and found it was a milk float in a badly damaged condition. It had no lights on. He heard a woman’s moans and saw a hand waving out of one of the windows. The woman was in the driver’s seat and seemed to be wedged right In the corner of the vehicle between the steering wheel and the door. The vehicle was almost parallel to the kerb and facing Doncaster.
The load of empty milk bottles had been driven forward by some impact and had pinned the driver. On walking round to the near side he found a youth pinned by the wreckage of the front and the load at the rear. Just then a Yorkshire Traction bus appeared from the direction of Conisbrough and he stopped it and asked for help. To get the boy out, he and helpers had to break down the nearside door. The boy was still unconscious. There was nothing whatever about with which the vehicle could have come into contact. It was fine and clear at the time but fairly dark. The woman was released through the back of the vehicle. On the road in front of the vehicle was a journal entitled “The Road Way.” from which a page had been torn.
“A Big Lorry.”
Robert Jones, slinger of Conisbrough, a passenger of on the Yorkshire Traction bus which Mason stopped for help, said when he got out at the scene of the accident, he saw a motor van with no lights on the proper side of the road facing Doncaster. He went to the near-side door and forced it open and saw a youth in the seat opposite the drivers. The youth said “I’m fast get me out,”. Witness got him out on to the road and got from him his name and address.
When he was asked what had happened he replied “A big lorry has run into us.” The woman was later asked what had happened, but she said she did not know.
P.c. Gregory, of Conisbrough, said he received word of the accident at about 9.15. When he arrived on the scene the vehicle was still there but the injured occupants had been removed. He found evidence of twin-wheeled tracks going towards Doncaster. These started from just in front of the van where they were heaviest, and went on as far as the crossroads. The marks in front of the van seemed to have been made by a stationary lorry. The milk float was in a badly damaged condition and had on the front evidence of red paint, which seemed to point out that the vehicle with which it had collided had had some part which was red. The details of the accident had been broadcast the day following but there had been no response and extensive enquiries had been made over a very large area.
The van, a Ford 10, was about three-quarters of a mile on the Conisbrough side of Warmsworth crossroads.
Inspector: Was the damage to the milk float consistent with it having run under the back of another vehicle, probably a lorry? – Yes, sir.
Coroner: can such damage be done without the driver of the other vehicle concern been aware? – Not in my opinion.
Witness said when the milk float was taken away it was still in gear and no brakes have been applied.
Van Driver’s Story.
Mary Gertrude Cusack, 42, March street, Conisbrough, a van driver employed by the Dairy Company, said she left home on Friday at 7.45 p.m. driving the van with a load of empty bottles, and Smith as a passenger. She had been driving for about 18 months. About the time the accident occurred she was driving at about 16 miles per hour. She saw nothing in the road in front at all, and definitely no rear lights. The same instant as the boy shouted “Look out!” something seemed to loom up suddenly out of the darkness and there was a bang as they collided with it. Witness estimated that the night visibility was six or seven Yards. After the accident she must have lost consciousness for she could not remember any other vehicle driving off.
Inspector: Were you paying proper attention to your driving at the time, and if so do you not think you should have seen the vehicle in front?—Yes, I certainly was. One would naturally have expected to see a rear light if another vehicle had been in front,
Inspector: If a pedestrian crossed the road in front of you, would you expect to see a rear light?—No if a pedestrian was foolish enough to cross he would be knocked down.
Dr. David Fletcher Clark, medical practitioner of Denaby said when he went to the Fullerton Hospital at 10.10 on Friday he found the youth in a dying condition. Smith died at 11 p.m. There were abrasions of the nose and face, fracture of the collarbone, severe abrasion of the right knee and left arm. Cause of death was shock due to multiple injuries.
Inspector Moxon said that intensive enquiries were still being made and it was just possible that the driver of the vehicle concerned could turn up in the next week.
On behalf of the Northern Dairies (Doncaster). Ltd., the Secretary, Mr. W. S. Bryan, expressed sympathy with the relatives. The Company Doncaster was represented by Mr. G. S.Ward, of Doncaster.