Transport: £2,500 Scare

In Manchester, England last June a matronly market woman named Mary Agnes Smith, walking with her grandchild, paused at a crosswalk to let motor traffic go by. A lorry owned by Hall & Pickles rumbled from one direction, the motor car of a Mr. Cunliffe of Droylsden purred from the other. Right before Mrs. Smith's horrified eyes they crashed. Mrs. Smith screamed to her grandchild to run, then collapsed. She says she has not felt right since.

Last week the periwigged British bar viewed with interest the unprecedented decision reached in the Manchester Assizes in the case of Smith v. Hall & Pickles. For her fright, Mrs. Smith won £2,500, assessed against Hall & Pickles and Mr. Cunliffe of Droylsden, since both were found equally responsible for the motor crash. Unless the decision is upset on appeal, the future may well see frightened British bystanders by the hundreds seeking nerve balm after every motor bump in Britain.