| Date |
Information |
|
| 19/01/2020 |
The witness (to Mr McNally) - the driver did not blow his horn, as he thought there was no necessity. |
| 19/01/2020 |
Dr Cousley, Coroner for the Barony of Loughinshollin, held an inquest with a jury consisting of Messrs W H Brown (foreman), Francis Morgan, Patrick Maguire, Herbert Harkness, Henry Murphy, William J McFlynn and John Logan. District Inspector Stratford examined the witnesses and McNally, solicitor, appeared for the next-of-kin. James Joseph Tohill identified the body as that of his brother George. The witness last saw his brother alive at 1pm on Friday and he was then in his usual health. |
| 19/01/2020 |
Alexander Monaghan, a motor mechanic working in Mr Wilson’s garage in Queen Street, said he was working at a lorry on Friday afternoon and was looking towards The Diamond. He saw a United States Army lorry going past and the deceased, on a bicycle, passed him. The lorry was on the left of the road, going towards The Diamond and close to the kerb. It was travelling ast a moderate speed. The witness saw the lorry passing Tohill, who was then cycling on the left centre of the road. There was plenty of room on the side the deceased was on, and going towards The Diamond. The lorry passed between the deceased and the footpath. The font of the lorry had passed the deceased when some part of the lorry behind the front mudguard appeared to touch him. The deceased put out his hand towards the lorry and tried to push himself out. The deceased got off his balance and then disappeared out of view of the witness behind the lorry. He was carried off the bicycle by the rear of the lorry. The lorry stopped a short distance off and the witness saw George Tohill lying on the road. |
| 19/01/2020 |
Mervyn A Hummel, Warrant Officer, U.S.A. Force, said he was driving an army truck. He had left Omagh at 1pm and travelled via Omagh to Magherafelt. He stopped at Moneymore for supplies that being his only stopping place. As he approached Magherafelt, he slowed down to 20 mph and in the street where the accident occurred haw was driving about 15 mph. Coming towards The Diamond he noticed a rider on a pedal cycle going in the same direction on his right side of the road. As this pedal cycle was not in his way and on the right side of the road, the witness passed him on his right. The cyclist was six or eight feet from the witness’s right. The front of the vehicle cleared the cyclist, but a few seconds after passing, the witness heard a rumbling around at the rear. The witness stopped and went to the rear, where he found the cyclist at the right of the truck. Sergeant Meenk was seated in the front of the vehicle with the witness. The cyclist must have made an abrupt turning after the truck had passed him, as he was about six feet to the right when the witness saw him. The witness sent for the doctor. |
| 19/01/2020 |
Virgil H Meenk, Sergeant Signal Corps, US Army, said he was with the previous witness on the truck sitting on the right of the driver. As they approached Magherafelt the speed was lowered tom 20mph and when travelling down Queen Street it was still further reduced to between 10 and 15 mph. He saw the cyclist and there was no reason why the truck should not pass him. The truck was on the left side of the road and so was the cyclist. After passing the cyclist, the witness heard a thud at the rear of the truck. The driver stopped immediately. The driver and the witness went to the rear of the truck and saw the cyclist lying on the road behind the rear right wheel. The witness wet for the doctor and the cyclist was removed to hospital. The witness would say that the right rear wheel had passed (over) the cyclist. There were two vehicles parked on the right hand side of the road facing in the opposite direction when he saw the cyclist first. The witness would say that the cyclist came from the right kerb where the lorries were. |
| 19/01/2020 |
To Mr McNally – The American rule of the road was different. He was not instructed to overtake traffic and driving at 15mph could stop in five or ten feet. |
| 19/01/2020 |
Mr McNally – If the accident had happened at the rear of the first parked lorry, the deceased would not have come from the lorries. |
| 19/01/2020 |
The jury retired to consider their verdict, and on their return the foreman, Mr W H Brown, said that their verdict was in accordance with the medical evidence, and that no blame was attached to any party. |
| 19/01/2020 |
Mr McNally returned thanks on behalf of the next-of-kin. |
| 19/01/2020 |
To Mr McNally – He was not actually sure that the cyclist came from the right. |
| 19/01/2020 |
A rider was added ‘that owing to the volume of present day traffic, no vehicle should be allowed to part at this place for a longer period than the time taken in its loading or unloading.’ |
| 19/01/2020 |
Constable Wilson said that about 3.30pm on Friday an American soldier informed him that a man was knocked down in Queen Street. He went immediately and saw George Tohill lying on the road at a slight angle towards the left of the street, with his head toward The Diamond. He appeared to be unconscious and and blood was coming from his mouth and ears. The witness was informed he was knocked off his bicycle by a U.S.A. truck, which was stopped 27 feet away from where the deceased was lying. The truck was on its own side of the street. There were two stationary lorries on the left of the road, pointing towards Moneymore. The deceased must have got on his bicycle only a few minutes before he was knocked down, as he was on Joseph Dorman’s yard on business. The road was wide and Tohill was lying ten feet from the kerbstone. The American lorry appeared to have passed the cyclist on his wrong side. (The witness produced a map of the scene of the accident). |
| 19/01/2020 |
Dr Kerlin said that about 3pm he was called to an accident in Queen Street by the driver on American lorry. He found George Tohill lying in a pool of blood on the left hand side of the road. He was bleeding profusely from ear, nose and mouth, and was semi-conscious. The witness rendered first aid and had him removed to the Infirmary, where he died 48 hours later. (The witness was acting as locum-tenens for Dr Keatley, M.O.. Infirmary.). In his opinion, the deceased came to his death by shock and haemorrhage following extensive fracture of the base of his skull, from striking some hard substance with violence. |
| 19/01/2020 |
Sergeant Ferguson gave evidence that the deceased had been removed to hospital when the witness arrived on the scene. There was a blood mark on the road 27 feet from where the U.S. lorry was stopped on its own side of the road. The witness examined the lorry, which bore no marks that the witness could say were caused by the accident. The pedal cycle was not damaged except for the leather part of the saddle, which was slightly bent. The brakes of the cycle seemed to be in good order. The witness took statements from the driver and the sergeant seated with him in the front. As the U.S.A. vehicle was a left hand drive, in his opinion the driver would not have had much of a view of the cyclist, who was on his right when passing. The witness was also informed that the driver passed between the kerbstone and the cyclist. It was a covered vehicle and the men seated at the rear saw nothing. The driver of the vehicle was perfectly sober, and there was no smell or sign of drink on any of the soldiers. The road was in bad condition and getting into pot-holes. The centre of the road was slightly better than the sides. |
| 19/01/2020 |
The Coroner recorded the verdict and rider, commented on the frankness and helpfulness of the U.S. soldiers, and expressed sympathy with the relatives of the deceased, in which the D.I., the foreman of the jury and Sergeant Meenk, on behalf of the U.S. Army, associated themselves. |
| 18/01/2020 |
From the Mid Ulster Mail dated Saturday 29th August 1942: Fatal Street Accident – Magherafelt Man Killed – The Inquest |
| 18/01/2020 |
A gloom was cast over the town during the weekend at the news that George Tohill had been seriously injured when cycling in Queen Street on Friday afternoon. This increased tom intense regret on Sunday when the news of his death was reported. A most popular young man, quiet, reserved, but kindly and obliging, he was an example to his colleagues who turned up in full force with the general public at his funeral on Monday. Sincere sympathy is expressed to his siters and brothers, his aunt, and other relatives. |
| 18/01/2020 |
From the Mid Ulster Mail dated Saturday 29th August 1942: |
| 18/01/2020 |
 |
| 18/01/2020 |
Mr George Tohill, of Queen Street, Magherafelt, received fatal injuries on Friday evening when cycling in the Diamond, in a collision with an American military truck. Apparently he lost his balance and fell on the ground and a wheel of the lorry passes over him, inflicting injuries from which he died in Magherafelt Infirmary on Sunday evening. The deceased was 32 years of age and unmarried. |
| 18/01/2020 |
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