FATAL ACCIDENT
A shocking fatal accident occurred shortly after seven o'clock iast evening A little girl aged nine, and named L'zzie Smlthers, went with some of her brothers and sisters and two children n*med Leeaon to the new building which is beiai erected, for Messrs Friedlander Bros., at the tear of their premises io Bast street, in order to collect chipe for firewood, her mother being away from horns. Sh-» was on a pile of timber, one of the pieces of which, a heavy plank 7 x 3. it is pre Burned was accidentally dislodged by one of tho other children, and fell crushing the little girl to the ground, and at t'e same time forcing a large spiimer of woo-* which she must have bad in her hand through her lip, through tho roof cf her mouth, breaking the rasal bene, «nd so antering the brain. M; sK •mr.itzer was the first ti* observe the accident, and she endeavored to remove the plank, but it. was too heavy for her. She 'hen gave the alarm, and two youths who were in the vicinity responded, and re-eased the child. Dr Tweed was quickly on the spot, and provided appliances for removing the poor liit’e thing but she expired within a few momenta of the arrival of assistance.
THE INQUESI
An inquest was held at the Courthouse 10-day before Mr Hugo Fnedlander, J. P. (in the absence of the coroner) and a jury of six, of whom Mr B. Hughes was oboaen foreman.
The jury having viewed the scene of the accident and the body of the deceased, the following evidence was taken. Dr Tweed deposed that about seven o’clock on the previous evening he had been called to see a child lying hurt near the buildings in course of erection for Messrs Frledlander Bros He found the child lying on her right side ard bleeding from the mouth and nos?. The child was then dying. Thera was a w -nod penetrating the lower lip, passing inside the nostril, fracturing the nasal bone, penetrating through the eye cavity into the brain. The wound would most probably have been caused by a pine wood splinter snob as that produced. The wound was, without doubt, the cause of death. Witness was able to insert his finger along the course of the wound, into the child’s brain.
Mrs Kamoitzar said that on the previous evening she saw some children near the timber stacked at Messrs Friedlander Bros’ new building. She told one of the children to go away because they might get hurt, and just at that moment a p>ece of timber fell on the little girl. Witness saw Mr Tasker, whom she called, and then herself ran fer the doctor. Mr Tasker and another removed the piece of timber off the little girl.—la rep’y to questions, Mrs Kamil ! z»r saH there was a little boy on the stack of timber and it was be who knocked the piece of timber down. Witness was not close enough to sea In what manner the plank struck the girl, but she wondered st *be time why it did not also hart tbe little boy.—By the Foreman : Witness could not say who l her the plank was pushed over by the little boy. George Leeson (7) said he was playing last evening with the deceased and so > p other children near Fried'ander’s n«jf building. Lizzie Smithers, the deceased, was gathering chips, a bundle of which she bad in her arm. Jennie Smi'hers accidentally dislodged a piece of timber by stepping on it. It fell on Lizzie, knocking her down. Witness and Jennie were standing on the steck of timber when the piece was knocked down. The plank’which fell was lying or its edg - on top of the stock.—Sergeant Felton said the boy gave a different version on the previous evening. lie then said the gitl Jennie was not on the stack of timbi r, and that it was he who knocked the p a k down.—l he boy was questioned fur her but beadheredt ■ the statement made durInglhia examination.—Fe said flso that tbe deceased had a round stick in her hand about the time of the accident but be did not know what became of it.
Francis Tasker said thst about a quarter to seven on the previous evening he was called by Mrs Kamnitzer and, going to the stack of timber, he found the deceased lying) in a pool of blood under a log of wood. He lifted the log up and, with the assistance of John Stuart, released the child. Directly he had released the child he saw Dr Tweed and called ont to him. The plank was about 30 feet long and about 8 h cbes by 4 inches Y?hen witness arrived on the scene the plank was lying on the child’s face, nearly covering it. This was all the evidence, and the jury, without retiring, returned a verdict of “ accidental death.” A rider was added, expressing the appreciation of the jury of the kindness and attention Dr Tweed had displayed towards the child.
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Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1431, 14 December 1886, Page 3
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850FATAL ACCIDENT Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1431, 14 December 1886, Page 3
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