South Yorkshire Times, January 12th 1952
Aged 73, Hit By Car
Jury Exonerate Driver at Mexborough Inquest
A verdict of “Accidental Death” was returned by the jury at a Mexborough inquest on Dec. 28th on George Henry Crookes (73), retired colliery surface worker, 19, Scott Avenue, Conisbrough, who died in Mexborough Montagu Hospital on Christmas Eve after being knocked down by a car in Old Road, Conisbrough, the same night. The driver of the car, John Parker, 7, Church Street, Conisbrough, was exonerated from any blame.
Collapse Ruled Out
The possibility that Crookes had fallen down or collapsed of his own accord and had not been struck by the car was ruled out by the evidence of Dr. Henry Lederer. Doncaster Royal Infirmary Pathologist, who said it was extremely unlikely that all the injuries sustained could have been caused by a fall alone. In his opinion Crookes had been caught by a car.
Parker said he was driving along Old Road towards Sheffield on Christmas Eve when a figure suddenly tottered off the nearside pavement into the road about seven yards ahead of him. He swerved to the right to avoid him with the front of the car and then to the left to miss him with the back, and then applied his brakes with such force that the car turned completely tound. He jumped out of the car and found an old man lying in the middle of the road. He had no recollection of hitting him and there was no mark on the car.
Percy Harrison miner, of 1, Harthill Road, Conisbrough, said he was walking along Old Road towards Conisbrough at the time of the accident It was raining hard and he was holding his hat on against the wind.
The first he knew that anything was amiss was when he saw a car swerve to each side of the road and then turn completely round in coming. to a standstill He saw nothing of the old man until after the car had stopped.
Frederick Goodson, 56, Scott Avenue, Conisbrough, who was walking in the same direction. gave similar evidence.
Florence A Parker, who was riding in the car beside her husband, said she felt the car swerve to the right and the left and then
came to a standstill. Her husband got out and she saw the old man in the centre of the road The car was carrying full lights and the windscreen wipers were working well.
John William Grocock, 19. Scott Avenue, Conisbrough, said he had identified Crookes’ body as that of his uncle. His uncle, who had been a healthy man, left home at about 6.30 p.m. on Christmas Eve with two pint lemonade bottles to fetch some beer from the Lord Conyers Hotel in Old Road. He was later told about the accident and saw his uncle at 1 Welfare View where he had been taken after the accident and in Mexborough Montagu Hospital,
“Terrible Night”
Sgt. P. Johnson (Conisbrough ssaid he examined Parker’s car immediately after the accident and found nothing on it to indicate that it had hit anything. The lights and brakes were in good order. It was a “terrible night.” the Sergeant said, with torrential rain and a strong wind Crookes. had walked a distance of 340 yards from the Lord Conyers – Hotel, and a normal person would have had difficulty in walking. “He would be exhausted.” sgt. Johnson said.
Dr. Lederer said that Crookes died from a fractured base of the skull and cerebral concussion. Other injuries were a fractured shoulder bone and bruised back muscles and ribs. It would have been possible to fracture his skull by falling down, but it was very unlikely that the other injuries would have been caused by a fall.
Summing up, the Coroner (Mr. W. H. Carlile) said there was nothing to suggest that the driver was driving at a fast speed. The surface was wet and slippery and that may have accounted for some of the things that happened.