Old news from Armidale and New England

The Armidale Chronicle, Wednesday, April 29, 1914

PASSENGERS ESCAPE.

A motor car came to grief on the Hillgrove road on Monday morning under circumstances which render the escape from serious injury by the passengers a matter for wonder. Early in the morning, Mr. A. Kiefer’s Napier car, driven by Mr. W. Smythe, set out for Hillgrove, with a full load of passengers. With the exception of Mr. Thos. Faint, of Long Point, Hillgrove, we were unable to obtain the names of the occupants. All went well until the first culvert after crossing the Commissioners’ Water, where the road takes a bend. For some reason hitherto unknown, the car failed to take the turn, and, continuing in a straight line, shot into a gully, over seven feet deep, the passengers being scattered in all directions. Strange to relate, the car did not overturn, but settled down as if it had been lifted bodily off the roadway. The near side wheels came to rest on the bank of the gully, and the off-side ones hung in air without any support. The front axle was twisted, the windscreen broken, the back axle and two wheels damaged. The passengers were considerably knocked about, and sustained some superficial injuries. It was reported that Mr. Faint had some ribs broken, but this has not been verified. The whole party was picked up by Mr. A. Kiefer and taken on to their destination by his Studebaker car.

When the car was inspected after the accident, it was found that the boot of one of the passengers must have caught in the car, for the heel of his boot was wrenched off, and remained in the car.