Litten, Mrs Mary – 1958

10th January 1958

Goytre Woman Killed when car plunged down embankment

A verdict of “Accidental Death” was returned by a jury at the Blackwood inquest on Mrs Mary Elizabeth Litten aged 73, of Westleigh Bungalow, Goytre, who died when the car in which she was a passenger plunged 75 feet onto a railway line near Maesycwmmer.

The jury added a rider that the road where the accident occurred had been in a bad condition for a number of years and some notice should have been taken of the fact.

A fence through which the car passed before going down the bank consisted of two strands of wire on posts, wide apart, it was stated.

Sidney James Walton, of Bellvue Farm, Goytre, the driver of the car, said he was taking Mrs Litten and a Mr Sims to visit Pontypridd Crematorium.

Post Snapped
When he entered a straight between the Crown Hotel, Pontllanfraith and Maesycwmmer the car would not obey the steering, went to it’s offside. A nearside front wheel struck a concrete post, which snapped.

“Had there been one good strand of wire then this would never had happened” he said.

I have been driving 40 years and have never seen anything like it. It was so simple.

He said there was nothing to stop the car going down the bank. There was no fence and some of the posts which should have been upright were lying down.

 

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