INQUEST

Hokitika Guardian, 9 July 1930, Page 2

INQUEST

An inquest was held at Lyoll on Saturday before Mr W. B. Auld. Coroner, into the circumstances attending the’death of Reginald Dufnur, which took place at the Four-Mile, Lyel! Road, on Friday afternoon. Constable Houston of Reel'ton con-dueted'-the proceedings on behalf cf the police.

Norman Hampson employed by O'Public Works 'Department at road making at Red Jackets, near NewtonHat, foreman, deposed The nu n and myself were engaged clearing a rack and Hailing timber ; knocked of ■it 3 p.m. for a smoke; whim we w’-re having a smoke Mr Conrad son, Puiilie Yorks Overseer, . came along and inti noted us to fall these trees which were growing together about 400 feet up the bill from where we were. When ,ve finished our smoke, -I. V/. Mahoney vent up the hill and commenced to Imp these down. The rest of my gang, Donald Dudley. Reginald Dufv,u- and myself, commenced clearing •,ome branches on the track which "" ■v?re making. T was on t’ e track V, nit 300 feet below where Malmnov was chopping trees. Winter was with ;IS . Dudley and Du four were with us ibout .three chains nwny from me or t!m road. They would he about 50) feet away from where Moil or was

'-ho"ping the tfees. Heard Yf.ilmntn mil out to- its to look out; had a look

-round and saw that everything was; •dear. From this on I watched tlm tree until, it fell. Mahoney called out again to us to look out, and 1 saw Dufaur coining towards me round tin spur: called out t-. him “look out Reg.” and he replied “it will neve come this far.” Then watched th 1 tree falling,' and it. fell on ton of a tree which was lying on the hillside and skidded off tin's, and came down the hill very rapidly and seemed t> hit a stump on its way which turned

it slightly to tho left. At tins'time it was getting near Pufaur and i saw him run. He ran a hit and stopped and looked up the hill. He then crouched and I saw the tree strike him on the head and knock him into a galley. Han to him and could see that he was badly cut about the head and was bleeding freely from cuts on the head. He was unconscious and I thought he was killed. He did not move or speak. He was dead when we reached the Imc’l. He did not move or speak from the time he was hit by tho tree. At the pln-e where P'e accident occurred Ihe hill is very steen, led there is a. terrace on th<’ hi'l a little over half way up. Pufaur would he si’out ‘lfn to odd feet, away the tree when it fed. and n’lie n ,f ns thought that it would come that ih'-> hill. In my opinion it vn.s the sk’riding o r f the other tree

n- nvP it a good start and caused d to com.' so fast down the hill. From where 1 saw Pufaur coming round Pm sour when the tro- was falling it would ha impossible for him to see the tree until it was almost on top o' h : m. If was a pure accident. All care

J„u,, n |„. S e e that no one was it {■U ( , wnv . T'efore the tree fell Mahoney </ave ample warning Pufaur must h^vo herd him call out. Po not InuMv anything regardin" Dufaur’s ,■-datives. Have known Pufaur for

held the past six months, but he has mlv been Working for hie 'for about fur im-nths. He was a good, careful.: stead'- worker, and his bearing and pypsM'C „. P . rP cood. and lie must have; l-eard Mahoney call out to ns to look out,

None .of us thought the, tree would come down the lull so fur. Corroborate evidence was given l V Steffr.n James Conradson, William; Mahoney, and Ronald Dudley, and Pie Coroner returned the following verdict:—‘‘That deceased met his death on the 4th July, 1930, through a tree striking him while engaged at his work for the Public Monks Department at Red Jackets.