Mexborough and Swinton Times May 31, 1929

Killed By bus

Boy’s Fatal Dash for ” Fag Card.”

Thurnscoe Accident,

How cigarette card proved to have a fatal fascination for Harry Leslie Whitehouse, the five year old son of Phineas William Whitehouse (mine) of 6 Windsor St, Thurnscoe, was described at an inquest on Wednesday at the Station Hotel, Thurnscoe.

The child was knocked down by a bus on Monday when running across the main road to pick up a cigarette card.

The inquiry into the child’s death was conducted by Mr. W.H Carlyle, assisted by a jury, and Mr G.S.Ward, of Doncaster, represented the driver of the bus.

The father of the boy give evidence of identification. He last saw his son alive about 8 p.m. on Monday, when he left home at that time to play.

Clarernce Parkin (mine), of 111 Thornley Crescent Thurnscoe, said he was near the Public Baths when the accident occurred.

There were three lads on the opposite side of the road. In the roadway near the pavement was a cigarette card. Whitehouse, who was on the witness’s side of the road, saw it, and. was going across to pick it up when a, private car came from the direction of Thurnscoe West. The boy stood back for the car to pass, and was going to run across many drops in cigarette cards he had in his hand. He bent down to pick them up, and immediately afterwards dashed for the one on the opposite side of the road without looking to see if road was clear.

He never saw the bus until it was a yard from him. Someone scream, and the lad hesitated. The middle of the bus radiator struck the lad and he was turned completely over as he fell, and was run over by the off wheel.

The driver could not have seen the boy until tie was immediately in front of the bus. Witness estimated that the bus was not travelling more than 8 miles an hour, and pulled up within 7 feet. There was no other traffic about but for the private car which had passed. If the driver had attempted to avoid the lad, he would have had to run into the other three playing on causeway. The nearside wheels of the bus were only a yard, from the edge of the pavement. He thought the driver could have pulled up more quickly, but would have pulled up with the wheel on the boy’s body. He could not see how the driver could have prevented the accident.

John William Robinson, colliery ambulance man, of 25 Hickleton Terrace, Thurnscoe said he was about 25 yards in front of the bus when the accident happened. The boy appeared to run straight into the bus. He thought the driver could not avoid the accident. The boy was dead when picked up. He had received fractures to the base of the skull and neck.

John Henry Pepper, of 20 Jackson St, Goldthorpe, driver of the bus, which was a Daimler 32 seater, said that on Monday evening, about 830, he was driving the bus from Thurnscoe East to Goldthorpe. He did not see the boy until he was 2 feet from the front of the bus. He speed would be about 10 miles an hour. He had been watching three boys on the other side of the road, and therefore did not see Whitehouse commenced to run across. His conductor was in the rear of the bus winding one of the windows. When he saw the lad he immediately applied all brakes. He could not swerve because the lad was in the centre of the radiator. He estimated that he pulled up in 3 ½ feet.

PC’s capstone said he arrived on the scene about 8:35 p.m.. The boy had been taken into a house nearby. Pepper had used the bus to fetch a doctor, who was at the house. Dr Malcolm told him that there were fractures at the base of the skull and neck. He examined the road, and a skid mark four feet long, which showed that the wheels had been locked.

One of the jurymen said that there had been some very narrow escapes near the scene of the accident, owing to an embankment belonging to the L.N.E. Railway which jutted out three feet into the road. There was no causeway, and people were liable to step into the way of passing vehicles.

Other jurymen described the spot as ” a, dangerous place ” and ” a veritable deathtrap.”

In recording a verdict of ” Accidental death ” and exonerating the driver, the jury recommended that the embankment be lowered and fenced off from the highway to stop children from running down it into the road.

The Coroner promised to place the recommendation before the proper authorities.