ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2419, 26 March 1915, Page 7

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

RUN OVER BY A. TRAIN 'INQUIRY INTO PETONE FATALITY. The Coroner, Mr. D. 6. A. Cooper, ; S.JI., conducted an inquest yesterday .at Petone, concerning the death of Wil''liam James Crawford, who fell whilst attempting to board a train at Petone on Wednesday morning. Sergeant •■Foster conducted.the case for the police. Mr. R. H. Simons represented the Railway Department, and Mr. Chas. Russell (a relative of the deceased's), ■appeared on behalf of the family. Dir. Harding stated that he was called to the Petone railway station at about 7.45, where he saw Crawford, who was dead. The left leg was fractured, thj left arm lacerated, there was a wound on the head, and the ribs on -both sides, as well as the chest, were - 'badly injured, the latter being sufficient cause death. Harold James Crawford, eldest son >cif the deceased, deposed that his father wias 44 years of age, and was a black.sniith employed at Ngahauranga. On Wednesday morning he went to oatch tb« 7.25 train with his father. Witness boarded the train first, and stood / on i the platform, and then saw . his' fatter attempt to get on. The whistle had. blown and the train had started. He saw'his father, who had one hand on fie guard iron, and one foot on the step, fall and slip between the carriage, and the platform. Witness jumped off and after the train. had passed found 1 his father lying on the track, from whence -ho was removed to the room. In answer to Sergeant rFoster, witness stated that the train was in'motion when he went to get on it, and. to Mr. Simons witness replied that the train was. in motion when his father went to board it. James Battersby, painter, stated that le saw a voting man board the train, and immediately afterwards a man attempted to get on, hut gave a cry and slipped over between the station and tbe_ platform. He left the train and assisted to remove the man, who was lying between the track and the platform. The train was in motion as the men endeavoured to 'step on, and as far as he could tell no one was to blame for the accident. In answer to Mr. Russell fhe_ witness stated that there was ample time between the ar-rival-ami departure of the train for persons to get on hoard. •' _Mr. Russell stated that the family did not consider any blame could be attachable to the Railway Department, but if the matter was stressed, perhaps more notice would be taken in future m respect to the time between the arrival and departure of the train. The Coroner expressed the opinion that the matter should bo laid before tho Railway authorities, as it did not directly concern the case, i Mr.. Russell thanked the Railway for what they lad done, and ?a verdict was returned that the deceased met his death by being run over by' a train, and no blame was attachable to anjone.

'A SUDDEN DEATH. t ,The death occurred suddenly yesterday'morning of Mr. Joseph James, a City _ Counoil foreman, residing at 55 'Martin Square. Deceased was 68 years 'of age, and was working on Wednesday. but did not feel very well. He Jarose about 6.30 a.m. yesterdaj, and •went outside. A few minutes later his fwife went out, and found hi™ dead. ./Deceased has for many years been an semplo.yee of the City Council. He [leaves a widow, but no family. ' The .Coroner has been notified of the death, jbut it has not, yet been decided wheither an inquest will be necessary.

SUICIDE BY HANGING. (From Our Special Correspondent.) ( Masterton, March" 25. At fie inquest on the body of Wililiam Larson who wa-s found hanging in ■a hut at Waingawa, a verdict was ra•turoed of suicide while temporarily inaane.. DROWNED IN A DITCH. {By Telegraph.—Press Association,) Auokland, March 25. David Dalton, aged seventy-eight, a farmer at Pukekohe for fifty years, was (found dead in a ditch on the roadside Jt is supposed he fell in at night and hvas unable to get out owing to water sand-blackberry bushes.