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INQUEST INTO TRAM
FATALITY
"Pedestrians Must Take
Precautions," Says Coroner
At an inquest yesterday into the
death of Lloyd Rodda Searcy, 20, elec-<*>
tricical mechanic, of George street,
Hawthorn, who was fatally injured on
April 29 when he was knocked down
by a tram at Colonel Light Gardens.
a witness described the point at which
Searcy had crossed the tram lines as
a "death trap." The Coroner (Mr.
Blackburn) adjourned the inquest and
inspected the scene of the fatality.
When the enquiry was resumed Mr.
Blackburn said that his inspection had
shown him nothing that could be de
scribed as dangerous.
"Trams approaching are visible for
many hundreds of yards in either di
rection," he said. "The fact that one
is crossing a tram tracx is impressed
on the mind by the surroundings. I
am unable to imagine anything that
could be done, short of putting a fence
between the road and the tram track.
or erecting a series of subways, Tjhich
could make the crossing safer, it is
necessary, under our conditions, for
trams to run along lines laid in or
close to streets.
"This accident demonstrates very
clearly that nothing can prevent an
accident with a pedestrian unless pe
destrians look out for themselves and
take precautions. It is inconceivable
to me that this unfortunate young man
could have looked at all, or paid any
attention to his surroundings. What
distracted his attention, or made him
forget to look whether a tram was
coming will never be known, for all
the evidence shows is that the deceased
walked straight into the track of the
pn-?oming tram at a time when it was
impossible for the driver of the tram
to avoid him.
"I record my finding that I am satis
fied that there is nothing whatever in
the construction of the tram track, or
in the surroundings, which in any way
constitute a trap or a source of hidden
danger.
"I find tnat Lloyd Rodda Searcy
came to his death at the Adelaide Hos
pital on May 5 from lacerations of the
brain caused when he was knocked
down by a tramcar at Colonel Light
Gardens on April 29." —6-?
Mr. D. B. Ross appeared for the
Municipal Tramways Trust. Plain
clothes Constable Davis assisted the
coroner.
Hugh Hudson, agent, of George
street, Hawthorn, said that he identi
fied the body of Searcy at the Ade
laide Hospital on May 5. After hav
ing been notified of the accident he
went to the scene and examined the
ground between the eastern set of
tram lines.
"I have observed this track at
night," continued the witness. "On
the right-hand side there are a num
ber, of poles about four feet from the
tram lines between the two sets of
rails and in my opinion these would
give the impression of a wall to the
tram driver. On the left-hand side
there are a number of trees, which are
seven feet from the tramlines, and the
branches of which nearly touch the
trams. In my opinion, this would make
it appear to the driver like a lons tun
nel, what lights there are are hidden
by the trees and. after observing seve
ral cars, I have found it impossible to
estimate how far the car was away. I
think it would be impossible for the
$Sm* *ot a tram normal
ugnts to see more than 30 feet ahead.
There are 51 of these crossings over
the tram tracks. The crossings are
not adequately protected. They are
death traps."
?tifi- reiS y t to the kroner, Hudson
statea that a pedestrian would be
aware that he was approaching a tram
tbe^ails? 6 OVnne to tne on
Nellie Ann Pickering, of An?as
"£*,*? ?F MitchamTlaid that she
was sitting in a motor car in Goodwood
road opposite the Colonel light Gar
dens Police Station on April 29 She
( saw a cyclist riding south along Good-
Stfi C V'O^H 1 Wlle£ be J was ?PPosite the
P?Y£t* station he dismounted and
S^^, towards the crossing. He
stopped, but she could not say whether
hfw 5 ?£ toe tram mes OT not. just
I^£? c **<£. the cycUst stop, she
SJrf^S? 1-^? 6 heawi a collision.
<s?^f,F to *W Otto Klobe- motorman of
trfrn 1
?? .kT^S? the tram was travelling
at about 25 miles per hour. He knew
mat he was approaching a crossing
He sounded his gong when within about
l?> feet of the crossing, and could
twStJS 011* sO. fef t i*f?at of^SS
The night was dark, and there was a
drizzling rain. The rails were slip-
The Coroner—Did you see anyone in
the vicinity of the crossing?
tJntD^liJS?' £. bicycle wheel be
tween the two tracks when I was about
20 or 30 feet from the crossing i
immediately applied the emergency
brakes and then felt a bump.
Coroner—Before you Telt the bump,
did you see anything. I saw some
thing in a flash, and I realised that it
was a man wheeling a bicycle. He was
between the two lines.
Was there anything that obstructed
your view at the crossing?— For a mo
ment the trees on the left and the
poles on the right obstructed my view.
If a pedestrian had crossed from the
road, was there anything to obstruct
the view?— One pole on the right hand
side, right in front of the police station.
In reply to Mr. Ross, Klobe said
that the crossings over the tram lines
were used only by people in the houses
on the eastern side of the road, and
few pedestrians used tlie crossings
at night.
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