ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 794, 18 April 1910, Page 9

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

A FATAL FALL,

, AVilliam Johnson, the labourer, who was injured b'y falling out of a vehicle at Lower Hutt last Thursday,' died in the Wellington ' Hospital on Saturday morning. An inquest was held the same afternoon at the institution by Mr. W. It. Haselden, S.M.

Dr. Hardwick-Smith, medical superintendent of tho hospital, said that in his opinion death was due to fracture of the skull and consequent hemorrhage into the brain. • Ho had made a postmortem examination. -

Michaol John. Ford, of Lower Hutt, a sub-contractor on the reservoir works at Wainui, said ho met the deceased. on the afternoon of April 14 near the Royal Hotel, Lower Hutt. Deceased was not drunk, 1 but had evidently had some drink. Witness agreed to give him a lift out to Wainui in his express. John White was the driver, and there was also a mail, named Wilson in the express, as well as witness. Johnson sat on tho outside of the seat. They stopped at the Bellevue Hotel to change the horse,' and -witness warned Wilson and Johnson not to get out of tho express, and not to get any drink. Johnson got 'out, but got no drink. There was a very sharp corner to turn from" the BOllevue Gardens to the public roadj and Johnson appeared to lose his balance when tho vehicle was turning there. He fell off and came down on: his]head on the road. The vehiclo was pulled up at once. Johnson was bleeding freely from' tho ear. Witness sent for a doctor and the police, and under the instructions of the former, tpok deceased into the Bollevue Hotel, and brought ■ liini to the hospital -the next day. Deceased did not regain consciousness while witness was with' 'him.- ■ .

William Wilson, a workmate of the deceased at the ,Wainui-o-mata reservoir works, said deceased .had two glasses of beer with him on the morning of -the day of the accident, and .was '. quite sober. They separated, and . when they met again in the afternoon and went to Bellevue . (as related by the previous witness) 1 deceased was still none the worse for liquor. . John White, labourer, who was driving the vehicle, said the horse • was trotting at about, six miles an hour. Johnson did riot appear to be the worse for drink. The coroner pronounced a verdict of accidental death. • - The deceased was stated to be 41 years of age, unmarried, and a native of Kent, England. Mrs. Kate. Brenfield, a young married woman, residing . at,, No. 2 Martin Street, waS admitted to the Hospital on Saturday night with a' broken leg, .the .result of - a fall in• the backyard at her home.