Accidents - road and rail
From collisions to fatalities - and the people involved
A NARROW ESCAPE. – What might have been a serious accident occurred here on Monday evening. A carriage which was coming quickly down the rather steep declivity between Cuthill Farm and the Breich Bridge, was capsized and its occupants pitched out. Fortunately none were seriously injured.
West Lothian Courier, 19 August 1893, page 5
Wedding Party in Fatal Accident
A wedding party returning home to Addiewell were involved in a serious accident on Saturday evening, 27th April, when one of the passengers, Mr.James Ovens, 78 years, was killed outright.
Another passenger, Mrs Janet Ezzi (52), of Blackburn, has since died in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Three other people were also injured. The driver of the minibus was Alverine Ezzi who took his father’s vehicle to collect his mother and a few other guests from the wedding reception.
crashed over an embankment, landing on its roof
The accident occurred at the junction of Stoneyburn Roadend and Cuthill Bridge on the Addiewell Road. We understand that lights from another vehicle blinded the driver and the minibus crashed over an embankment, landing on its roof.
Mr. James Ovens who was partially blind, was killed instantly. The driver and other passengers are in Bangour Hospital. The late Mr. James Ovens, who resided in Addiewell, was laid to rest at West Calder on Monday of this week.
Midlothian Advertiser , 3 May 1963, page 1.
FA TAL FALL FROM A TRAIN
fell from the carriage on to the line
The record was closed and issues were ordered by Lord Dewar in the Court of Session Tuesday in an action by Mrs Mary Carruthers or Neilson, widow, 25 Loganlea, Addiewell, Midlothian, against the Caledonian Railway Company, for £500 as solatium and damages for the death of her daughter, Marion, aged nine, who, on the 26th August, 1912, while travelling from Cambuslang to Addiewell, fell from the carriage on to the line. She received injuries from which she died. The pursuer says the defenders’ servants were at fault in not seeing that the door of the carriage was properly closed and fastened. Fault is denied by the defenders, who state that the door in question which was on the off or non-working side of the train, was properly closed and fastened. They aver that the pursuer’s daughter contributed to the accident by interfering with the door.
West Lothian Courier , 15 Nov 1912, page 5