TRAMWAY FATALITY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2727, 23 March 1916, Page 6

TRAMWAY FATALITY

THE INQUEST.

Mr. D. G. A. Cooper, Coroner, held on inquest at the Magistrate's Court yestorday afternoon into'the circumstances connected with the death of Thomas William Rees, a sliip's steward, who was knocked down by a Brooklyn tramcar in Customhouse Quay on Saturday evening. Senior-Sergeant Emeison represented tho police, while the City Solicitor (Mr. J O'Shea) appeared on behalf of the City Tramway Department. Dr. A. Lloyd Clay, who was called to the scene of the accident about 20 minutes past 7 o'clock on Saturday evening, sxpressed the opinion that death was due to fvacturs of the base : of-the skull.

Evidence of identification was given by Obarlos Jones, a steward of the ferry steamm- Maori, who statfld that deceased was under the influence of liquor before breakfast on Saturday morning hist, and was much woise at the time he was paid off—ll a.m. The motorman and conductor'of'tramcar 86 gave a description of the accident on the linos of'ihe repoit appearing in Monday's issue. Two other witnesses could have been called to corroborate tho tram(vay -gflicers' vorsi'l.l of the occurrunce,. but the Coroner did not deem it necessary to hear them.

The verdict' was that deceased died frum i'jacturo'of the base of tho skull by being accidentally struck by a tramcur on Saturday, March 18, at ' 7.10 p.m. The Coroner added that no blame iias, attachable to anyone, in the matter, and that the motorman was to bo comfnunded for his promptitude in pulling up the car.