Motor accident fatality (1918)

Post date: Apr 29, 2014 9:10:23 PM

Extract from Kent Messenger of 20th April 1918

MOTOR ACCIDENT AT

NETTLESTEAD.

FATAL RESULT TO A WATERINGBURY

BUILDER.

While cycling, in Nettlestead parish on Mar 28th, Mr. Charles Brown Benfield, aged 60, builder, of Vine House, Wateringbury, collided with a motor van belonging to Mr. Coates, grocer, of Yalding, and received injuries which caused his death about a fortnight later. The inquest was held at the Queen’s Head, Wateringbury , on Tuesday evening, by the Deputy Coroner for the district, Mr. Thompson, and the Vicar (the Rev. G. M. Livett) was appointed Foreman of the Jury. Mr. Robert Brennan, solicitor of Maidstone, represented the owner and driver of the motor van.

George Benfield, a son, who is in the Royal Air Service, gave evidence of identification, and said his father had enjoyed good health all his life. His eyesight was very good, but he was slightly deaf.

Thomas Eastern, motor van driver, in the employ of Mr. Coates, stated that about 5 p.m. on March 28th he was driving from Wateringbury towards Hale Street, East Peckham. As he was passing through Nettlestead village, Mr. Benfield, riding a motor bicycle came out of a bye-road on to witness’s nearside.

The Coroner: Where does the bye-road lead to?

— Witness: From Nettlestead to Yalding Station.

How near were you to deceased when you first saw him ?

—About 20 yards, as near as I can say.

At what speed were you going?—From 12 to 14 miles an hour.

Were you on your correct side?—Yes.

What happened?—As soon as deceased saw me, and his front wheel was on the main road, he made a decided turn to his off side. I did my utmost to get my van to the off-side of the road to avoid a collision, but the front wheel of the motor cycle just caught the cap on the near side of my front wheel.

At what pace w as deceased travelling?—I could not say .

Was he going fast? —Yes. Deceased, he added, was thrown, and witness at once picked him up and took him to the Hop-pole inn, Dr. Black being sent for.

Further questioned, witness said he had been driving motor cars for five or six years , and h a d a clean license. That was the first time he had been in an accident.

In answer to Mr. Brennan, he said the road was very wet on the day named. He sounded his hooter when he was approaching the bye road, but he did not hear Mr. Benfield’s hooter.

Further questions were put with the object of showing that witness, in his judgement,did the only thing possible to avoid a collision.

A lad named Richardson, of Acton Road, Yalding, who was with the previous witness at the time, confirmed his evidence.

Dr. Southwell Sander, Wateringbury, deposed to being called to deceased on the evening of the accident, and finding him unconscious. There was a little bruising , he said, on the face, but no evidence of any fracture of the skull. Deceased became conscious for a few seconds only and died on on April 13th.

Witness had since made a post mortem examination and discovered a small fracture of the skull and laceration of the small blood vessels.

The Coroner: You have h e a rd the evidence. Were the injuries you found consistent with that evidence ?

—I cannot understand why the injuries were on the right side of the head.

The Coroner, jury and doctor then left the room to inspect the motor van and cycle, and the witness Easton, recalled, explained that he found deceased after the accident with his left leg under the bicycle, and his right leg over it, while his head had fallen forward between the handle bars.

Mr. Brennan (to the doctor): Having seen the cycle and van and heard the further evidence given by Easton do you better understand how deceased sustained his injuries?

—The doctor replied that the only thing he could suggest was that one of the handle bars of the bicycle might have swung round and caught his head and so caused the fracture.

The Coroner having briefly summoned up, stating that there did not appear to be any evidence of negligence on the part of the motor driver.

The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence, the injuries being due to misadventure.

Mr. Brennan said his clients wished to express their deep regret at the "unfortunate accident" and their sincere sympathy with the relatives.

The foreman of the jury and the Coroner associated them selves with this expression of regret, the Vicar saying that Mr. Benfield and his family were greatly respected by the people of Wateringbury, where they had resided for, some years.