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Two Killed, Two Hurt in
Truck Crash
Brakes Fail on Steep Hill
Perth, May 30.
Two mien were killed and two'
others injured this afternoon when
a truck failed to negotiate a bend
on Lesmurdie Hill in the Kalea
maunda district. The truck skidded
and overturned down a 10 ft, em
bankment. Those dead are Sydney
Ounninghaam (22), of Mt. Lawley,
and William Lathbury (18), of
IBrewer street, Perth. Alexander
Thompson (53), of Victoria Park,
suffered a severely lacerated scalp,
and Peter McPhee (27), of Mt. Haw
thorn, a fractured leg. Thompson's
name has been placed on the
danger list.
McPhee, who was driving the
truck, made a statement to the
police that the accident occurred
when the truck became uncon
trollable after the brakes failed.
McPhee made an abortive effort to
stop the vehicle by putting it into
low gear. Cunningham and Lath
bury were passengers in the truck
w'hich picked un Thompson, whose
bicycle had punctured. Thompson
told McPhee that he knew a route
,w'hich would save three miles of the
journey from Kalamunda to Perth.
When the truck was going down
Lesmurdie Hill the foot brake burnt
out. Then the hand brake failed,
and other attempts to stop the truck
failed. The vehi:!e overturned anl
dropped 10 ft., but had it rolled
a few feet fLarther it would have
fallen hundreds of feet to the but
tom of the valley below.
Cunningham, who suffered miul
tiple head and body injuries, was
killed almost instantly, and Lath
bury, wlho had severe head injuries,
died soon after admission to hos
pital. The condition of the other
two men is satisfactory,
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