ASKED FOR A LIFT – Remarkable Incident at Wickhamford
The driver of a saloon car, his finance and a man to whom he had agreed to give a lift to only a few minutes before, were injured in a remarkable accident, which occurred at Wickhamford, near Evesham, on Saturday afternoon. The driver of the car was William Gager McKenzie, aged 30, of 16 Brownswood Road, London N4, and his passengers were Miss Eveyln Loydoll, aged 22, of 34 Brownwood Road and Arthur Farley of 9 Brasshouse Passage, Broad Street, Birmingham. Miss Loydoll and Farley are detained in Evesham Hospital.
McKenzie had drawn up at a stall on Pitchers Hill to make a purchase. Farley had been staying with his brother-in-law, Mr George Robbins, and asked him if he could drive him to Evesham to catch a train. McKenzie agreed, but after about 200 yards, on the Evesham side of the Sandys Arm, in overtaking another vehicle he struck the verge on the off-side of the road, lost control and shot across the road into a near-side ditch and struck a tree. The car was badly damaged. McKenzie escaped with extensive cuts and bruises to his head and limbs but was able to assist passers-by in extricating his fiancée from the car. Farley, who had been sitting in the rear, had been thrown out through the damaged side of the car when it hit the tree. He was discovered lying beneath the rear wheel and only released with difficulty.
The injured were conveyed to Evesham Hospital. Miss Loydoll is suffering from concussion and head lacerations. Farley sustained a fractured collar bone, cuts and severe bruises. McKenzie was treated in Hospital, but not detained.
Note – George Edwin Robbins and his wife, Annie Lily (née Farley), lived at 16 Pitchers Hill in 1936 (now No 46 Pitchers Hill). Arthur Farley was the brother of Annie Robbins.