£1250 CLAIM

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 171, 22 July 1942, Page 6

£1250 CLAIM

DAIRY FACTORY ACCIDENT

Arising out of a dairy factory accident, a claim of £1250 damages was made against the New Zealand Cooperative Dairy Company (Mr. North) in a Supreme Court action before Mr. Justice Fair and a jurv the plaintiff being George Edward Geary, sharemilker. aged 29 years, of Hikutaia, Thames County (Mr. Garland).

Mr. Garland, opening the case, said that on Christmas Day, at the Hikutaia dairy factory the plaintiff was washing out milk cans after delivering milk, using a hot water pipe supplied for the purpose by the factory. \Vhile he was so engaged a portion of the pipe came apart at a joint, with the result that his back and chest were deluged with scalding water. Taken to hospital at Thames for treatment for the extensive scalds, the plaintiff suffered toxic after-effects, including a stroke affecting his right arm, right leg and speech. He had now practically recovered, except for a stammer in his speech, and was expected to be able to resume his work in about a month. £1000 general damages was claimed and £250 for loss of his sharemilking profits.

After plaintiff had given evidence he admitted that he had operated the same pipe many times and had worked four months at the factory but had never looked at the threads ol the hot water pipe joint before using it. He denied having been cautioned a month before the accident to look at the screw of the pine before using the hot water. He did not think it was a matter of general knowledge that such caution should be observed. (Proceeding.)