AN INQUEST
THE WAITAHA FATALITY An inquest was held at the Courthouse, Hokitika, yesterday by ithe Coroner, Mr A. E. Benjamin, touching the death of Ernest Richard Hayes, the victim of the accident at Waitaha on Saturday morning. Sergeant C- J. King appered for the police, and Mr F. Turley (secretary of the Westland Timber Worker's’ Union) was also present. Evidence was given a.s follows ’: —-
Walter Hayes, a resident of Christchurch gave evidence that the deceased, Ernest Richard Hayes, was bis J brother, who was horn in Dunedin, j was 49 years of age, and unmarried. ; He had seen his brother alive the | previous day at the hospital and identified the body. j Dr Basil Laun 'Wilson gave evidence 1 that Ernest Richard Hayes was adj mitted to the 'Westland Hospital on Saturday last about 2 p.m. He was unconscious, having a severe fracture at the base of the skull. There was laceration of the left ear and bruises on the left side of the head, but no other external injuries. The injury would he consistent with the deceased being crushed between two logs. The patient did not recover consciousness, and died about 6 p.m. on Sunday. The injury was a very severe one, with severe damage to the brain, the piatient being paralysed down one side. Death was entirely due to the shock and injury, and damage to the brain, P* 1 Thomas Vincent, a winch-driver, employed by Perry and Co., at their Wjaitaha sawmill, stated he was at i work at the loading,..bank, of the mill on the north side of the Waitaha river on Saturday last.. He was working at the winch "at the loading bank. Knew Ernest Richard. Hayes, the deceased, who was engaged loading logs on to trucks for conveyance to the mill, and was also locomotive driver on that tram. Saw the deceased shunt trucks into the loading bank. Assisted deceased to load the logs on to the truck with the winch, by means of a wire i-ope. Saw the deceased nass a wire rope round the loes and fasten it. Then witness got the signal to haul. This was done and the logs were pulled on to the trucks. ■! There was one short log. It was not long ' enough to reach the two bogies of "the truck, and .therefore ..it was. to -go on the longer logs. When the logs were lifted, the shorter log lifted out,- and one end came over the side of the longer log. Deceased gave the order to slacken, with the purnose of jacking up the short, leg. Witness slackened the rope. Was about IT, chains away from the deceased who started to jack up the log. Witness proceeded to attend to his fire, and next heard John Hagan call out that Hayes was jarnbed. Went to where Hayes was caught by the two ears between the loading log. and the log he had been jacking. His feet were on the ground his body being practically upright. With a jack separated the two logs which were pinching Hayes, and the body dropped to the 1
ground. Deceased did not speak after he was released. He bled freely from . nose, eyes and ears. When,; witness saw deceased working at the logs he was on top of the landing log. In tho opinion of witness the accident was caused by the jack when extended to its full lengthy not proving suffi- . cient to put tho short log on its place, and that deceased in endeavouring to put in a chock, got down off the loading Jog to get the chock, and in so doing displaced the jack, allowing the log to roll out towards the loading log, and crushing deceased. There was some mud on his coat which would have came off the log he was jacking, as he went down. Deceased was a capable and' careful workman, always attentive to his work. The method they Were using for loading was quite a good method, and was in use at most mills. Attended to the injured man till Hagan obtained a stretcher and he was removed. He was unconscious from the time of the accident. John Hagan gave evidence that he was an. employed at the Waitaha mill, working on Saturday at the loading bank in the bush. The deceased Ernest R. : Hayes and Thomas Vincent were there. Assisted to shunt in trucks to the loading hank. Saw deceased commence to load the logs on tho truck and then went on with his own work about a chain away. Heard the signal given to the winchman to haul and saw one end of the logs moving. Could not see the other end of the logs from where he was. There were four of five logs to be loaded on that truck. All were long enough to reach each bogie, except one. Heard deceased call out to the winch driver to slacken off. Saw deceased working at the short log with, the jack. He 1 then had the jack at the butt end of the log. He wa's trying to jack it up on” top of' the' others'. ‘He was then on the ground between the truck and the loading log. Was engaged at his work when witness heard two logs bumping together., Looked up to see what had happened. Deceased was not then in sight; Went over the top of the logs to look for Hayes. Saw' his hat sticking up between two logs, and then his head, which was jambed between the short log, and the loading log. Called out to Vincent, who came over at once, and with his assistance separated the two logs and deceased fell down on the tramline. He was unconscious and did not speak. Blood was oozing from mouth, nose iand ears. Recognised that he was seriously injured. The; small log was over 20 feet long and .about 18 inches in diameter at the butt. Assisted in removing the injured man to > Westland Hospital. Consider Vincent’s "View of how the accident happened to be correct. Consider the method of loading a’safe one and it is the usual one. The short • log getting out of position was the cause that led to the accident. To jack it back was the only and correct way to do so. It was ‘the course always followed. The acci-, 'dent was caused by the jack slipping, or that Hayes unintentionally hit it and that it fell, releasing the log. Consider tlie deceased took full precautions. Witness would follow the same course, himself. Consider ...it a pure accident. It-was a n unusual position jot; the man to be in. Consider deceased must have got down to get a chock, when the log came away and caught him. Deceased was a good, competent workman. He had been employed at the Waitaha mill for about five years. '
The. Coroner expressed liis regret at the sad occurrence, . and returned a. verdict : “That Ernest Richard Jlayes died at Westland Hospital 0 n August 27, 1933, ns the direct result of an accident, \yhich occurred at Perry and Go’s sawmill loading bank at Waitiaha, on August 26, 1933, whereby Ills head was crushed between two logs, while he was engaged in loading a truck and that death as caused by a pure accident.”
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Hokitika Guardian, 29 August 1933, Page 7
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1,218AN INQUEST Hokitika Guardian, 29 August 1933, Page 7
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