SAD FATALITY.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 21 May 1920, Page 2

SAD FATALITY.

AT WAIKANAE. MK FEED FEICE ACCIDENTALLY KILLED. A very bad fatality occurred at Netley, a little to the north of the IVaikanae flaxmill, on Wednesday afternoon, by which a farmer named Fred i’ricc was accidentally killed. It appears deceased was fencing, and had a number of fencing wires tied to the axle of the dray. While turning a corner the wires caught the dray wheel and capsized it. The unfortunate man was pinned beneath the wheel, and had his neck broken. Deceased was a man of about 15 years of age, who had only been in the Waikanac district about a year or so. He was held in high esteem, 1 and his death under such painful circumstances caused quite a shock iu the district. Mr I’rice came to Waikanac from tho Feilding district, aud was the son of Sergeant Price, of tho Police i’orco. He leaves a wife aud seven young children (the eldest a boy or sixteen), with whom very much sympathy is felt iu their bereavement. The funeral is to take place at Fcilding to-day. INQUEST. Alt inquest was held at Waikanac yesterday afternoon. In tile absenco of I the Coroner (Mr W. C. Nation, of I Levin) through illness, Mr A. JohuI slon, J.l’., acted Iu that capacity, while Constable Salherley conducted the proI ceedings. The jury consisted of Messrs W. Hart, L. P. llrown, C. Porter, aud p. W. Wilson. Hubert Price, son of deceased, residing at Waikanac, deposed: 1 am sixteen years of age, aud have resided I with my father for It! months here. On the ltuli inst. .1 was assisting my. father in carting some fencing wire. He had six wires lied to the. axle of the dray. I was about six chains away I from my father when the accident hup--3 polled, and 1 saw the drap capsize with I my father in it. 1 ran up, and saw my I father lying with the dray across Ins I shoulders. 1 heard him groan when I was about, leu yards off. When I got up to him 1. tried to lift the cart, to get, him out, but could not move it. The horse was lying on his back, with its legs in the air. I unfastened the harness and tried to gel the dray away tiom the horse, but could not do so. My brother Fred was with me. 1. left him there while I went for assistance. Mr Drown and some flaxmillers catuc to heip us, and 1 helped them to gel my father out. 1 could see that he wan dead when we got him out. My father’s age, in about J 5 years. My father has never had any sickness that I know of, and was iu good health on the day of Ihe accident, which happened about 'J p.ui. The doctor was sent tor by Mr Drown, and be arrived later. When 1 got up to the dray i did not notice the wires entangled iu the wheels. Thomas William .>rown, sworn, said: i am the manager of the Uaxteill at Waikanac. and hn\c known the deceased ever since he has been here. Mr I‘rice’- boy came for me, ami said his, father was under the dray. Tho accident took place about one and a half miles in on the farm, towards the coast line. 1 found the dray upside down, and the horse in the shafts. There were a number of fencing wires, tied to the dray, which had just turned the corner. The wire were proving hard agaiu-t the wheel. 1 think that iu turning the corner sharply the wires pressed against the wheel and locked it, causing it to capsize. Deceased wan lying on his face, with the dray across ihe top of his shoulder-. We lifted the dray off deceased, turned him on his back, and opened his shirt and clothes, arid found he was; dead. 1 left others to bring the body to the house. Tho doctor aud constable were then sent for. J. never knew deceased to be ill. lie was. a steady, hard-working wan. Ueorge Stanley Sharpe, medical pracj titioner, residing at Otaki, deposed: Yesterday I received a telephone message saving there had been an accident near th>- Waikanae mill, and came straight down and examined the deceased. 1 found life extinct. 1 considered he had been dead about an hour, i found a fracture of the cervical vertebrae, which would be sufficient to cause a sudden death. The other sign- about the body- confirmed the diagnosis of the lacerated spinal cord. Allan Tat herb: y, police constable 'rationed at Otaki, sworn, staled: About 3150 p.m. yesterday afternoon I received a telegram calling me to WaiImnae, and escertaincd that Mr I'red. Price had been accidentally killed. I

j r.i-iit. to tb<: 5)ou:“e of deceased. J)ecnacod was lying on tin; bed fully dressed. I undrew.-d him, and found that hi* neck was. very limp, ‘bowing that the cervical vertebrae wa« fractured, and on tha middle of Lir, back, just below the shoulder, was a very large black bruise. On pressing my finger oe it, it -earned to me that the spine was. fractured. There were no other markl, except an abrasion of tbs; fans;. I have knows -deceased for about 12 months, and have always found him to be a steady, hard-working man. He leaves a wife and seven young children. The jury brought in a verdict that deceased met his death through a dray being capsized and falling 02 him, breaking his neck.