AN INQUEST

Hokitika Guardian, 18 May 1931, Page 2

AN INQUEST

FATALITY ON KUMARA RACECOURSE.

An inquest concerning the death of Aubry Featherston, was held at the Courthouse on Saturday morning. The Coroner, Mr W, Meldrum, presided.

Mr J. Hannan watched the case for

the Royal Exchange Insurance l Cov. W. Featherston, a sawmill worker, and father of Aubry Featherston, identified the body a s that of his son, who was about 12 years of age. J, L. Page, a duly qualified medical practitioner practising at Kumara, said that he was called a little after 2.30 on Thursday to the racecourse. He fotind the boy lying on the ground. Ho was dead, but had not been dead long. He examined the body and found a fracture of the back bone. There were also indications that the lungs had

been crushed. Death would be practically instantaneous. In his opinion death was due to shock and crushing of the organs in the chest, and broken spine.

Thomas .Tames Dunn, a lorry driver working for Mr R. Spiers, said ho was engaged in carting firewood from the Kumara racecourse. He had a load <>l , wood when leaving, (the course at 2.30 p.m. There were five boys helping to load the wood, of whom deceased was one. Deceased was riding on the cab, and got off to open r,he first gate leading from the course to the paddock. He opened the gate and the lorry was driven. slowly through. After going through, flip gate he was proceeding slowly to the next gate, He expected the boy to close the first gate and open the next. Whilst driving tho lorry, he felt a bump nnd pulled iip. Ho got. down nnd hnd a. look to see what had happened, and found the boy lying on the grass about six feet behind the lorry. The body showed no signs of life. ■ He went for the doctor to Kumara, about a mile awaj-. The boy had apparently tried to get on the lorry, and had fallen under the left hind wheel. The lorry was fully loaded with wood. The other four hoys were on the wood loaded on the lorry. James Smith said that he accompanied the lorry driver to the course. There were five boys on the lorry, who helped to load the wood. Deceased who was in the cab, got off to open the gate. As the lorry was driving towards the next gate witness felt a slight bump. He was- riding on the lorry at the time. The driver said “There .is something wrong, I felt a jolt.” Thb lorry was then pulled up and he got down with the driver. He saw the boy lying across the track and felt him and asked if lie had been hurt, but lie showed no signs of life. In witness’s opinion, the accident . was caused through the boy trying ro bonrd the lorry, but had missed ins step and fallen. To Mr Hannan: The driver naturally thought the boy was going ahead to open tlie other "gate. .The Coroner in summing up, »aid that deoeauod Aubry , Featherston, came to hl» death at the Kumara racecourse from syncope, duo to shock caused by the crushing of thp organs of the chest and a broken spine, re. suiting from the rear wheel of a loaded lorry passing over Ins hody, Np blame was attachable to the driver °i the lorry. .