Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Thursday 24 March 1927

Perils of The Road

Motor Fatalities at Bolton and Goldthorpe.

Yesterday afternoon Mr. W. H. Carlisle, deputy District Coroner, hold two inquests relative to motor fatalities at Goldthorpe and Bolton-on-Dearne, respectively.

In the first ease the victim was Enock Bighton (57), miner, of Barnsley Lane, Goldthorpe, who was knocked down by bus and killed at the Goldthorpe terminus as he was returning to his home from work at 10 o’clock on Monday night.

George A. W. Stannard. of Hollinshead and Stannard, owners of the bus said he was driving the bus and had just left Jackson Street, Goldthorpe, on his way to Mexborough. When he had gone 50 yards down the High Street he felt a bump. He was travelling at about seven miles hour. He stopped the bus, and looking round, saw what he at first thought was a bag. went to move it and found it was a man lying in the middle of the road.

Witness never saw the man before, and did not know he had knocked him down until felt the bump; in fact, he felt convinced that he had not knocked him down.

The Coroner: Can you offer no explanation why you did not see the man ?

Witness: No, sir. It is mystery to me. He added that just before he felt the bump he met another bus. the driver of which switched his headlines on when a few yards away.

The driver of the bus referred to, Walter Imisson of Church Street, Swinton, employed by the Mexborough and Swinton Tramway Co., said he remembered meeting Stannard’s bus and switched off his headlights as he met him. He remembered seeing a man walk directly in front of Stannard’s bus.

The iury indicated that they had doubt that Stannard’s bus knocked the deceased down, and in returning a verdict of “Accidental death,” exonerated the driver from blame.

The other inquiry concerned Alfred Parkin (8). son of John Wesley Parkin, of The Green. Bolton, who. on Monday afternoon, was knocked down and killed a bus at Bolton. At the same time the, deceased’s playmate, Ronald Smith (7). of High-gate Lane, Bolton, sustained serious iniuries and is now an inmate of the Montagu Hospital.

An eye witness said there were swarms of children about at the time. The driver’s speed was quite reasonable and he did not think he was to blame.

“Accidental death” was the verdict, the driver being exonerated from blame.