ACCIDENTAL DEATH

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 50, 27 January 1938, Page 11

ACCIDENTAL DEATH

BOY ELECTROCUTED. DANGER STRESSED. A verdict of accidental death was returned by the Coroner, Mr A. J. Graham, at the conclusion of an inquest held this morning on the circumstances surrounding the death, on Monday, of John Neville Wrigley, the six-year-old son of Mr and Mrs J. E. Wrigley, of Haydon Street, when he came in contact with a broken electric wire. The finding was that death was due to heart failure, in accordance with medical evidence. The Coroner commented on the actions of one witness in not reporting to the authorities immediately that there was an electric wire broken, the Coroner saying if that had been done the accident might not have occurred. The case was conducted for the police by Sergeant O'Donnell. Mr H. R. Cooper appeared on behalf of the City Council and Mr G. I. McGregor for tlio parents of deceased. MEDICAL EVIDENCE.

Mr D. Mitchell, F.R.C.S., gave-evi-dence that about 2 p.m. on Monday he went urgently to a house in Haydon Street where ambulance attendants were still applying artificial respiration to the boy, but the latter was then dead. There were no burns evident and in witness’s opinion death must have been instantaneous, the cause of death being immediate heart failure. The absence of burning would indicate that (with the deceased standing on wet ground) the whole incident was too sudden for burns.

ATTENTION BY ELECTRICIAN. Patrick Vincent Burns, a registered electrian employed by the City Council, stated that at 9 a.m. on January 24 (Monday), he received notice of a complaint from Haydon Street. The wires there were all clear and witness went into the house of No. s,iwhere he was told there were no lights, and at No. 3, on Sunday night. Witness found one contact of a pole fuse was broken, through eorrision caused by the weather forming a sort of an arc. Witness put in a temporary fuse and left for another job, where there was a broken wire. • The temporary fuse would not impair the efficiency. There was a certain amount of “pl&y” in the wires, but nothing more than ordinarily. The wires, he could see now, were weather-worn, but it did not occur to witness that the wires should be renewed. He did not know that till they had been taken down. There was no mention of sparks. About 2 p.m. witness received instructions that there was a line down in Haydon Street. He left immediately for the scene and found a phase wire broken, one he had inspected in the morning. The wire was swinging in the wind, the end being about 2ft. to 2ft. 6in. from the ground. Witness immediately deadened the line. It would be hard to say what caused the line to break, because there wero various possible causes. It was a burn, certainly. The amount of insulation on the wire could govern the speed with whicji a wire would burn through. Sparking on the previous evening may have had some•thing to do with the burning. On the previous night had sparking been reported to the City Council emergency service the matter would have been given immediate attention. If such sparking were seen the matter should he reported immediately. Witness estimated that the wires would have been up about 10 or 12 years. It would depend on the condition of the wires how often they were renewed. The wire (produced in Court) was weather-worn and would not be safe it it came down. On Monday morning, witness added, he did not notice any danger of the neutral line and the other coining in contact through having play. As witness saw the line now he would say it should have been renewed. In reply to Mr McGregor, witness said that if he had seen the wire before he would have recommended its renewal- Under normal conditions it was quite safe, but the high velocity of the wind on Monday had proved too strong for it. Mr Cooper interposed that the inquest was designeu to find the cause of death and he did not think that a “fishing” expedition siiould be allowed This line of examination was simply to find out if there was any negligence on tile part of the Council, lie contended. The Coroner: I am watching that. Mr McGregor: I am quite willing to leave myself in Your Woislnps witness said he inspected the wires from the ground. H he had waited for any length of time in order to take the wires down there might have been somebody dead somewhere else.” When there was nobody else available the storeman would even leave the depot to watch a broken wire. The whole supply could not be cut .off because there mig then as well be no supply at such a time. The iisual practice had been followed in this case. WHEN WIRE BROKE. William Frederick Walshaw, residing at No. 3 Haydon Street, said that on the Sunday night about 6.J0 P.m. he saw the wires were a little slack and touched once or twice, and that put the house lights out. W ltnes « did not take any action to notify _tne City Council until the next morning. He did not think it was necessary to notify the council- He did not think there was anv danger. He thou the fuse outside had gone and there was no danger At 12.40 p.m. on Monday witness saw the wires were down and told his son to notify the council that the wires were down when lie got back to work, a little after

p.TTI. .. ,1 X The Coroner: Yon realise now that yon should have told them immediately ?

Witness: Yes. ; , Witness reeounted how his daughter later told him there was a little lipy on the roadway, witness then nnding deceased ho'ding the wire with hot 1 hands. Witness amoved decease! and summoned assistance. He at not seen any sparks from the wires on tlie previous evening. EXPERT EVIDENCE. William John Mitchell, electrical engineer employed by .the Eubli 'Works Department, submitted evidence that when he arrived at idaydon Street to inspect the wires concerned they had been renewed. lie cause of the burning of the wire was that it had repeatedly touched the other wire, or else they had been crossed. If the wires had been touching only, the burning through process might have been going on for lour . The wire which broke had been a cov-ering—-not insulation. It was.to pro tect the wire. The copper of the w ire was in quite good condition, but 1 the wires had been strained np they would not have touched. . Tightly strained wires gave a humming n ■ which was objectionable to people in the vicinity and on that account such

w’ires were not strained tight. Evidence of the action taken by the police was given by Constable Chapman. ~ _ Recalled by the Coroner, Mr Burns said the sagging of the wire in the morning of Monday appeared quie normal to him. The wires were quite safe under normal conditions, hut the wind had sprung up suddenly during the day.. To have carried the inspection further then would have involved taking the wire down. The usual procedure was carried out. lr witness had known at the morning visit that the wire was in its present condition he would not have restored the current. CORONER’S REMARKS. Delivering his finding, as stated above, the Coroner said he was not suggesting that there was any fault in the wire, but it had been pointed out that it was over ten years old and he thought it should have been overhauled. He regretted that Mr Walslmw did not report the swaying of the line the. previous night. It should have been' done. An error ot judgment was also made in not immediately reporting to the authorities that a wire was broken. Had this been done the accident might not have occurred. .. The fatality, the Coroner continued, emphasised the necessity of teaching children in the home the danger of touching electric wires. He under- j stood that children were taught so at school, but in this case the boy was. only young and it did appear to the sneaker was in the home that childra taught of the dangf wires. 1