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Hannah Walker

Age: 77

Sex: female

Date: 7 Jan 1936

Place: Langsett Road, Hillsborough, Sheffield

Hannah Walker was knocked down by a youth on a bicycle and died later in hospital.

At her inquest, the Coroner said that there were only two people that knew what happened, the youth and Hannah Walker and added that he thought that most of the youth's evidence was untrue.

Hannah Walker had lived at 245 Langsett Road in Hillsborough, Sheffield and was knocked down by the youth outside her home on Saturday 21 December 1935.

She suffered from a broken collar bone and a fractured ankle joint.

Hannah Walker was taken to the Royal Hospital but didn't remain as a patient. On the Thursday she was taken to Staveley in a closed car where she stayed until the following Tuesday when she returned to Sheffield for an x-ray. at the Royal Infirmary. She was advised to stay but refused. She then attended the out-patients department of the infirmary on 7 January 1936 and while sitting on a form she seemed to grow faint and gradually got worse. She was taken to the casualty ward where she later died.

At the inquest, the police said that the cause of the accident was the youths fast riding of his bicycle.

A woman who lived on Langsett Road said that she was looking out of her window when she saw Hannah Walker step off the pavement to cross the road and at the same time saw a pedal cyclist travelling towards the city at what appeared to be a dangerous speed. She said that the cyclist swerved to avoid Hannah Walker but said that the cyclist caught Hannah Walker with the front wheel of his bike and they both then fell to the ground.

The woman said that the cyclist didn't assist Hannah Walker. She said that she then ran out to Hannah Walker and helped her into a chair in her house. She said that the cyclist followed her and stood at her door. She said that when she asked him for his name and address he said, 'Oh it's only a bruise, it's nothing'.

Another woman said that she was crossing Langsett Road when she heard a bump and said that when she turned she saw Hannah Walker and a cyclist on the ground. She said that she then helped the other woman help Hannah Walker into the house and also confirmed the remarks made by the cyclist when asked for his name and address.

At her inquest, a doctor said that Hannah Walker had suffered from a disease of the arteries and that in his opinion her death had been accelerated by the injuries that she had received in the accident. The doctor also said that if Hannah Walker had remained in the infirmary after her first visit then she might have survived.

The cyclist that had lived in Wisewood Road, Wisewood, Sheffield said that he had been travelling very slowly down Langsett Road on his proper side of the road. It was noted that his bicycle was a racing model with half dropped handlebars.

He said that he saw Hannah Walker when he was about 20 yards away, standing on the pavement edge. He said that she appeared to be waiting until he had gone past but said that she then suddenly stepped off the pavement right into his front wheel.

He said that he then reared his bicycle on the causeway edge by means of the pedal and then went back to lift Hannah Walker up and help her back to the house. He said that he was the first person to get to her. When he was asked if the woman asked for his name and address he said, 'No'.

When the Coroner summed up he said that he could see the difficulty that the jury would have with the contradictory evidence and suggested that the safest course for them was to return an open verdict.

The judge concluded that if the story told by the cyclist was untrue that he was as near to perjury as he had heard and that it was certainly a very serious matter which he felt sure would be looked into by the police.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Sheffield Independent - Thursday 09 January 1936