STRANGE FATAL ACCIDENT.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2202, 17 March 1881, Page 3

STRANGE FATAL ACCIDENT.

The Geelong correspondent of the Melbourne 14 Argus ” gives the following particulars of o strange and fatal accident which happened to a child named Catherine Christina Oorridon. About 12 o’clock she seemed to have become thirsty, and following the example of other children endeavored to got a drink of water by putting the water-tap in the back yard of her parents’ residence into her mouth. The child seemed to have got to the tap by putting bricks on the ground on which to stand, and uoporoeived, to have got the tap fastened in her throat. When she was discovered she was all but suffocated, and considerable difficulty was experienced in releasing her. As soon as this was effected she was taken to the hospital, but she died before reaching the institution. During the afternoon a magisterial inquiry was hold by Mr Pardey, J.P. Mary Oorridon, residing at the corner of Pi’zroy and Curio streets, stated that her child was two years and three months old. Between eleven and twelve o'clock that morning the child was playing with other children in the house. Her eldest child called out that the baby had got the water tap in her mouth. Witness went outside and found the tap in her mouth, and was unable to remove it. The tap was not running at the time, but the child seemed choking, blood oozing from her nose and mouth. Witness called for assistance, and had the child rcleosod, but she died before getting to the hospital. The tap was 2ft from the ground, and deceased had got on some bricks in order to get to it. Michael Joseph Oorridon govo corroborative evidence, adding that the mother bad always taken good oare of the child. Dr. W. Warren, resident surgeon of the Hospital, stated that he had examined the body aud found all the appearances of a person being suffocated. Internally the heart was gorged with dark blood, the lungs were full of frothy matter, as wera also the brachea and larynx. The eanse of death in his opinion was suffocation. Mr Pardey found that death was caused by suffocation by the water tup getting accidentally fixed in the deceased’s mouth.