A party of six men, whilst travelling from Coonabarabran to Dubbo to attend a coursing meeting, were involved in a serious accident about 18 miles from Gilgandra, on the Oxley Highway, about 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
The truck in which the men were travelling turned two complete somersaults and ended up facing in the opposite direction. Three members of the party were admitted to the Gilgandra District Hospital for treatment, but one was later allowed to leave. The Coonabarabran champion coursing dog, Sir Ross, escaped without injury.
The party comprised:
- Nabob Allam, of Dangar Street, Pilliga – owner and driver of the truck.
- Alexander David Deans, of Coonabarabran – received injuries to the head and face. He was admitted to hospital, but allowed to leave on Wednesday afternoon.
- Hilton Stafford, of Kennebri – admitted to hospital with severe injuries to the right ear.
- Nor Deen, of Coonabarabran – probably the most seriously injured, suffering from fractured ribs and shock.
The two other passengers escaped injury.
The accident occurred at a slight turn near “Mount Pleasant.” The truck was a new Chevrolet. According to passengers, they were travelling at about 25 miles per hour when a car passed them in the same direction. Because of the dust, the driver evidently went too far to the left-hand side, getting into loose gravel at the roadside. When the brakes were applied, the truck overturned.
An inspection of the scene disclosed that the truck had turned over twice, finishing on the opposite side of the road and facing back towards Tooraweenah.
Shortly after the accident, Mr. J. R. Connell of “Doroombah,” Tooraweenah, came upon the scene and conveyed Mr. Stafford, whom he believed to be the most seriously injured, into town. The police were then informed, and Sergeant Taylor and Constable Skiller transported the other members of the party to Gilgandra. Mr. Stafford and Mr. Deans were subsequently admitted to hospital.
The party had intended attending Wednesday night’s meeting of the Dubbo Coursing Club, taking with them the Coonabarabran champion dog, Sir Ross, who had won five races from five starts and shown unusual fleetness of foot and natural hurdling ability. When the accident occurred, the dog jumped clear and escaped injury.
Those able to travel still attended the Dubbo meeting, but their run of bad luck continued. Sir Ross ran last in the President’s Stakes and second in the hurdle race. In the latter event, he appeared certain to win, clearing the last hurdle beautifully about twenty yards in front of the field, but was unable to keep his footing and turned two somersaults. Remarkably, the dog continued to race on and was only defeated by a short neck.